Fans became concerned for Dolly Parton’s health after a number of show cancellations for “wellness” reasons on January 19 as she celebrated her 80th birthday.
Iconic country music star Dolly Parton worried fans as she cancelled a string of shows in the lead-up to her 80th birthday, after admitting health battles left her in a ‘dark time’. The 9 To 5 singer turned 80 on 19 January.
Fans became concerned for her health earlier this month when it was revealed that the singer would not attend a concert put on for her birthday. This came shortly after health issues forced Dolly to cancel a trip to Dollywood in September and the reported cancellation of a series of shows for “wellbeing reasons” after the death of her husband Carl Dean.
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Dolly has previously described how she “fell apart” after being diagnosed with health issues. Dolly On Dolly: Interviews And Encounters With The 35-year-old singer described her as a “pile of personal and emotional problems” in her 2017 memoir, Dolly On Dolly: Interviews And Encounters With.
“I was working hard, but there were a lot of personal and emotional issues underneath me. I instantly disintegrated, she said. “Female health issues and stomach issues were the main issues,” she said.
Dolly collapsed during a concert in 1984 after disobeying doctors’ orders to play. Endometriosis, a condition in which cells similar to those found in the womb’s lining develop elsewhere in the body, was then identified on her. Dolly had a partial hysterectomy as a result of the diagnosis.
Dolly described how challenging this time in her memoir as being. I turned out to be a middle-aged woman. I went through a difficult period before I was forced to leave.
She continued, noting that she had an eating disorder during which point her body would “binge” and “diet” in cycles, pushing her body to the point where it would “won’t work anymore.”
“Dietin’ Dolly would also be medicated, go on a liquid protein diet, Scarsdale, Atkins, and the water diet, and then binge, diet, gain, and start over.” My computer eventually stopped functioning. Under that strain, my body couldn’t support itself. Eating excessively is just as harmful as drinking too much.
The Grand Ole Opryy, a famous venue, staged a special concert to celebrate Dolly’s 80th birthday. Dolly stated to fans that she wished she could attend the event but would not in a video that was posted to the Nashville venue’s social media accounts.
She begins in the clip, Grand Ole Opry family, so hey, hello. I just wanted to let you know how much it means to me that you’re all reunited this year to sing along to my big ol’ birthday.
“Some of my favorite memories happened right here at the Grand Ole Opry,” she adds. “And I wish I could be there in person, but I’ll definitely be sending you all my love.” A spokesperson later clarified that Dolly had never intended to attend the celebration despite initial concerns from fans about her health.
She’s not pulling out of anything because she never intended to be there and never received a promotion to do so. She never left, according to the spokesperson.
Some fans were still upset, as this was brought on by doctors’ advice to the singer to “take it easy,” which resulted in the cancellation of her Tennessee-themed trip to Dollywood.
“I sure wish I could be with you in person today,” she said in a video shared on Dollywood’s Instagram page. “But you probably heard that I been dealing with a few health challenges this fall and my doctors told me to take it easy for just a little while.”
