Dolly Parton made a rare public appearance at Dollywood following her recent health scares.
“I’ve been up to a lot. I’ve not been touring, as you know. I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them,” Parton, 80, told fans on Friday, March 13, while celebrating a new season of her theme park. “I just kind of got worn down and worn out.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, the Grammy winner said she has been grieving the loss of her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82. She also admitted there were a lot “of other little things going on.”
“I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally and physically,” she said. “But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”
Parton previously made news after she chose to postpone her Las Vegas concert dates and other public events while she recovered from kidney stones and other health ailments over the last six months.
As Dollywood kicked off its 41st year in East Tennessee on Friday, Parton expressed her hope that Dean would be proud of her for pushing through the ups and downs of life.
“I think Carl Dean’s waiting for me,” she shared. “If I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that. He’d be saying, ‘Who’s that little pisser? You leave him outside the gates.’”
While appearing onstage, Parton was joined by Dollywood Company president Eugene Naughton. At one point, the “9 to 5” singer joked that fans might’ve mistaken the exec for her “new husband.”
She later confirmed she’s “not dating anybody.”
“I look just like the girls next door… if you happen to live next door to an amusement park 🎢,” Parton wrote via Instagram on Friday when celebrating Dollywood’s latest milestone. “@dollywood is officially open for the 2026 season!”
Theme park attendees will be able to enjoy some new attractions in Dollywood’s 41st season.
According to WLOS, the park will open a $50 million coaster experience called the “NightFlight Expedition.” Dollywood officials described the ride as a “thrilling whitewater rafting excursion” that “takes guests soaring on a nighttime flight over the scenic Smokies.”
Parton also announced that Dollywood will premiere two new stage productions as part of its annual I Will Always Love You Festival this year.
“There are more things coming,” Parton teased. “I’m not done.”
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