By Kitty Chrisp

Copyright metro

Dolly Parton didn’t attend Dollywood because of a kidney stone (Picture: AP)

Dolly Parton cancelled an appearance on Wednesday at her theme park Dollywood, explaining that she has kidney stones and her doctor advised her not to travel.

The 9 to 5 hitmaker, 79, appeared at the Tennessee event via a pre-recorded video message, in which she apologised for not being able to open one of the park’s new experiences.

‘I know. I’m here, you’re there and you’re wondering why that is. Well, I had a little problem. I had a kidney stone, which was causing me a lot of problems,’ Dolly said in the video, uploaded to X.

‘Turns out there was an infection and the doctor said, “You don’t need to be travelling around this minute. You need a few days to get better.

‘So he suggested I don’t go to Dollywood today. I want to make this clear, I was looking so forward to it.’

Reassuring fans, Dolly ended saying: ‘Don’t worry about me, I’m going to be okay. I just can’t do it today.’

Dolly said it’s been causing her ‘a lot of problems’ (Picture: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

The country music star has endured a heartbreaking year after her husband of almost 60 years died in March (Picture: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Dolly has endured a difficult year, as her husband of 58 years Carl Dean died in March.

The country star said in the announcement of her husband’s death: ‘Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.’

The pair met 61 years ago in 1964 outside the Wishy Washy launderette in Nashville, on the very day that the music icon moved to Tennessee.

They became inseparable and travelled to Georgia two years later to tie the knot.

What are kidney stones?

According to the NHS, you may not notice if you have small kidney stones. You’ll usually pee them out without any discomfort.
Larger kidney stones can cause several symptoms, including:

feeling sick or vomiting
pain in the side of your tummy (abdomen)
severe pain that comes and goes

Larger stones may need to be broken up or removed with surgery.

Carl Dean and Dolly met when she was 18 (Picture: Dollyparton.com/Amanda Savinon)

Despite the Jolene singer’s superstar status, Carl managed to stay out of the spotlight, with Dolly only posting a handful of pictures, though she has always talked about their life together fondly.

This shock came just four months after Dolly said goodbye to her brother David, having already lost three siblings. She was one of 12.

Following Dean’s death, the country music icon revealed she hasn’t been able to work, having made serious mainstream appearances in 2024 on Sabrina Carpenter’s Please Please Please music video and Beyoncé’s reimagining of her hit Jolene.

‘There’s a few things now. My husband passed away three months ago, so when you ask me if there’s stuff that I started and haven’t finished – several things I have wanted to start, but I can’t do it,’ she told Khloe Kardashian in an interview.

‘I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas, but I think I won’t finish it,’ she said.

‘I can’t do it right now, because I’ve got so many other things and I can’t afford the luxury of, you know, getting that emotional right now.’

She reflected that things like grief can ‘stall’ her, but she always finds a way to get back to making music.

‘There are times like that, things like that, that will stall you a little bit. But I’ll write something else, though, if it comes.

‘I’m just putting that all on hold.’

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