Dolly Parton's tragic passing has rocked the music world. Her death came as a shock to all. Despite her cancelling some residencies and public appearances, she was thought to have been well.
Her last public appearance came only two months before her death. On June 24, she surprised fans at Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville. We reported on her appearance when it happened.
She showed up to cut the purple ribbon on the brand-new attraction. The truck stop was the first in Dolly's large collection of real estate and attractions. It sells Dolly Parton merch (of course it would!), as well as Ambition Coffee, her brand of coffee merch inspired by her hit "9 To 5".
During her appearance, she hilariously took a shot at Buc-ee's. "I wanted to welcome all of you and say thank you for coming," she said. "We're very excited about our truck stop: the Tennessean Travel Stop... I'm sure some of you are wondering why I wanted a truck stop. Well, I couldn't leave it to beavers."
She added, "I had to throw my scrawny little self in there. We're not trying to compete with anybody. We don't think we'll have to. We think we're going to have everything that you want or need."
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Dolly Parton Had Cancelled a Dollywood Appearance Prior to Her Passing
But it was just eleven days prior to her passing that she had been scheduled to appear at Dollywood. However, in lieu of her appearance, a pre-recorded video showed a health update.
We reported on this when it happened, too. The video showed her with flapping butterfly wings explaining why she wasn't there. "Now, I've told you all before—all my fans—that I had a few little health issues. And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get a little dehydrated," she explained.
"And, I'm dehydrated! So my Nashville doctor kind of clipped my wings and said, '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!"
May she rest in peace. We are all grieving this tragic loss.
