Dolly Parton, 76, has already established herself as a legend in the worlds of country music and show business.
Although having spent nearly her entire life on stage, the Tennessee native has always liked performing for her adoring fans.
The iconic singer has officially declared that she will no longer perform live but will continue to create new music.
Dolly Parton declared her retirement from touring in a recent Pollystar interview.
“I’ll perform a few special shows here and there. Perhaps a long weekend of shows or a few shows at a festival. But I have no plans to embark on a full-fledged tour.”
Dolly Parton, who ascended from obscurity in the Appalachian Mountains to the summit of the entertainment world, will be missed onstage.
But the 76-year-old country music star will continue to write songs; instead of traveling, she will spend her time with her husband, Carl Thomas Dean.
Dolly and Carl Dean originally met in 1964 at the Wishy Washy Laundromat in Nashville, Tennessee. Carl was 21 at the time, and Dolly was 18. Carl could tell there was something remarkable about the girl right away.
“My initial thought was, ‘I’m going to marry that girl,’” Dean said of the moment they met, according to Entertainment Tonight.
“My second reaction was, ‘Lord, she’s pretty.’ That was the start of my life. “I wouldn’t exchange the last 50 years for anything.”
Dolly stated in a 1976 interview with the New York Times that Dean “holled” at her from the window of his pickup truck.
Yet, she declined a date with him. A few days later, she babysat her nephew and asked him over. The beginning of a love story that would continue forever.
Dolly and Carl married in a tiny ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia, in May 1966. Her record label urged them to postpone their wedding until she had progressed further in her profession.
Dean and Dolly, on the other hand, were not in a hurry, so they married in Georgia, away from the prying eyes of the Tennessee press. Only Dolly, Carl, and her mother were present.
Dolly and Carl’s bond has grown since then. In 2016, they marked 50 years of marriage. They chose to renew their vows in celebration of the occasion.
They’ll be spending a lot more time together now.
In an interview with Pollstar, Parton revealed lengthy tour history:
“I’ve done that my whole life, and it takes so much time and energy. I prefer to spend more time at home with my hubby. We’re growing older now, and I don’t want to be gone for four or five weeks at a time,” Dolly stated and added: “Anything could happen. If I were gone and someone needed me, I would not feel right about it. Or I’d feel horrible if I had to quit a tour because someone got sick at home and needed me and I had to abandon the fans.”
The singer is confident that her new material will be well received by her husband, who enjoys rock and roll. Parton was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame again this past May.
“When I was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought, well, there’s no better time than now.” It was something I had always wanted to do. My husband is a big hard rock ‘n’ roll lover, and I’ve been thinking for years, ‘One of these days, I’d like to do an album primarily for him, just to kind of do it.’”
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas, which premiered on NBC on Thursday, December 1, has kept the actress busy.
“It’s a show within a show,” says the narrator. We’re concentrating on the dramatic aspect of things. It depicts everything that happens while you’re putting on a show. All of the conflicts you have with the producers, all of the issues you have with the performers, all of the issues you have with scenery falling down and all of the things that happen on backstage, people needing to cancel and reschedule quickly… I wouldn’t call myself an actor since I’m just being myself. I’m just Dolly the whole time; I’m not playing a role.”
Dolly is also working with actress-turned-producer Reese Witherspoon on the film adaptation of her co-written novel Run, Rose, Run, which she co-wrote with James Patterson.
Dolly Parton’s well-being
Dolly Parton has always represented courage and tenacity to many of us. Nevertheless, as we’ve seen, Dolly Parton has good reasons to avoid a huge concert tour. With everything she’s been through, it’s hardly unexpected.
Dolly has seen personally what occurs when one ignores their body’s warning messages. She had health problems in the 1980s, but she ignored them in order to focus on her career.
Dolly Parton “got sick” at the age of 35, which resulted in her passing out during a performance in Indianapolis. At the height of her career, the country singer was diagnosed with endometriosis.
Pain, heavy periods, and exhaustion are common symptoms, and the illness can also cause the uterine lining to extend to other organs.
Dolly, on the other hand, rejected her sorrow as “feminine issues,” and she continued to dismiss it. Her doctor urged her to relax before her presentation in Indianapolis in 1982. Parton, on the other hand, defied her doctor’s advise and continued with the performance.
She passed out during the performance and was brought to a hospital in New York for assessment. Due to health issues, she was forced to cancel the remainder of her 35-city tour in the United States and Canada.
Dolly had to have a partial hysterectomy as a result of that.
“I was able to get away with murder. I wasn’t watching what I ate, wasn’t paying attention to nutrition, and wasn’t taking care of myself. I was working hard, but I was buried beneath a mountain of psychological and emotional issues.”
Dolly, enjoy your “retirement”! You have given us so much information. Relax and enjoy yourself; life is short. Our affection for you knows no bounds.
