Dolly Parton has shared a health update after missing the Hall of Fame ceremony for her theme park, Dollywood.
The 79-year-old country icon shared a video on social media Wednesday after missing the ceremony for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), which took place on Monday in Orlando, Fla.
“Well, hey there, it’s Dolly,” Parton began. “And I sure wish I could be with you in person today, but you probably heard that I’ve been dealing with a few health challenges this fall, and my doctors told me to take it easy for just a little while.”
Parton said she was “truly sorry” she couldn’t be in attendance but she still wanted to take the chance to thank everyone for the “incredible honour,’ including Jack and Peter Herschend, her partners who co-own the Dollywood theme park.
“And to Jack and Peter, hey, thank you for being my partners and my friends for more than 40 years,” she said. “You’ve been a blessing to me, and I love you dearly. You know, our partnership is truly special. I trust them, and they trust me, and they always listen when I come in with one of my big ideas and dreams.”
Parton also credited the pair and the amazing team at Dollywood for finding “a way to make those dreams come true.”
“I still remember when I had the big idea for Dollywood. I dreamed of a place right here in the Smoky Mountains where my family could perform, and where we could provide steady work for the good people in our community — and where families could come and laugh, play, and have fun and to make memories together,” she said, before adding that she was “nervous” to open the theme park in 1986.
“I was about as nervous as a kid waiting to see if anybody was going to show up at a birthday party,” the Jolene singer said. “I peeked out the window of my bus, saw all those cars lined up, and would you believe it? They’re still lining up today.”
Parton said she is “just so grateful that you consider me worthy of this recognition.”
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“Being inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame is a big, incredible way to help celebrate Dollywood’s 40th anniversary season,” she added.
Parton said she is the second woman ever to be inducted on her own and the fourth woman in the IAAPA’s 100-year history.
“So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for this honour, from me and from everyone who makes Dollywood what it is,” she said, before adding, “Remember that I will always love you.”
Parton’s absence comes after she virtually accepted an honorary Oscar over the weekend at the Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood.
She accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences remotely from Tennessee on Nov. 16.
Standing beside her Oscar, Parton shared a video message with the Academy, calling the recognition “a blessing of a lifetime.”
“I grew up in a house with 12 kids,” Parton began. “Now, that alone teaches you how important sharing is. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t have that much to share. But my mom and daddy showed me by example that the more you give, the more blessings come your way.”
“And I have been blessed more than I ever dreamed possible, like with this award tonight,” Parton added. “It’s an honour just to be considered, but to receive this, I mean, that’s a blessing of a lifetime. And I don’t take this kind of thing lightly. It makes me want to dream up new ways to help lift people up.”
So from my heart to yours, I truly thank you,” Parton said before she held up her award.
Earlier this year, Parton postponed her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years due to “health challenges.”
“As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!” she wrote in the announcement shared on Instagram.
Parton also told her fans that “lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am” in another health update shared in October.
“I’ve got some problems, as I’ve mentioned,” Parton said. “Back when my husband Carl was very sick — that was for a long time — and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself, so I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of. So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said, ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’”
She noted that it’s “nothing major” but she did have to “cancel some things so I could be closer to home” and closer to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, “where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there, but I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”
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