Country music icon Dolly Parton, 80, canceled a scheduled appearance at her Dollywood theme park just days before her death, citing health issues including dehydration and dizziness. Parton was slated to celebrate the new NightFlight Expedition ride on August 14 but withdrew due to feeling unwell.
In a video message to fans, Parton explained that her doctor had advised her against traveling for the week due to her condition. "Now, I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I’ve had a few little health issues, and sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated," she reportedly said. "Now I’m dehydrated, and so my Nashville doctor kind of clipped my wings, saying, ‘You ain’t traveling this week.’ So I guess if your doctor tells you you ain’t traveling this week, you ain’t traveling this week!"
Parton's public schedule had become increasingly limited in recent months. In May, she was forced to postpone her first Las Vegas residency in over three decades for a second time, attributing the cancellation to feeling "swimmy headed." At the time, she reassured fans that she was responding well to treatments and improving daily, though some medications were causing dizziness.
This Las Vegas residency, titled "Dolly: Live in Las Vegas," had previously been canceled late last year. Parton's last extensive tour was the "Pure & Simple Tour," which concluded in 2016. The Grammy-winning artist also experienced a personal loss in March 2025, with the death of her husband of 60 years, Carl Dean.
Parton made her last known public appearance in June at Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. She was frequently seen at Dollywood, including a parade on March 14, 2025, and during the opening day of the park's 41st season on March 13, 2026. The Dolly Parton Experience, featuring the Songteller exhibit and Dreamsong Theater, is also located at the Tennessee theme park.