Just weeks after canceling her Las Vegas residency amid ongoing health issues, Dolly Parton has made a surprise public appearance.
Parton, 80, stopped by Wednesday’s opening of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, TMZ reported. The shop serves BBQ and coffee called “Cup of Ambition,” according to local reports.
While she reportedly only stayed for a few minutes, Parton was adorned in a blue fringed outfit and sparkly heels.
“I’m sure some of you wondered why I wanted a truck stop — well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers,” she said (in a seeming nod to popular chain Buc-ee’s) to an assembled crowd, many of whom had traveled from out of state hoping for a glimpse of the country icon. The New York Times reported that Parton cut the ribbon signifying the opening using a pair of bedazzled scissors before leaving.
The truck stop — which has its own merchandise line — is just the latest business of Parton’s to open in Tennessee; her SongTeller hotel is slated to begin welcoming guests in the coming months.
The “Jolene” singer’s appearance came as a welcome surprise to fans who have been concerned about her health. Parton has been facing a series of issues while grieving her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025.
In a May social media video update announcing the cancelation of her Las Vegas residency, Parton told her fans: “The good news is that I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day. Now, the bad news is, it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage-performance level, because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed.”
In her signature light-hearted tone, she joked: “And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels — and you know that I’m going to be wearing them!
“Not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair and my — uh — big personality,” Parton said, glancing down at her chest.
“Lord, those,” she corrected herself, “that would make anybody swimmy-headed.”
Likening herself to an “old classic car that once restored can be better than ever,” she said: “When they raised the hood on this old antique, they realized that I need to rebuild my engine and that my transmission is slipping, my oil pan is leaking and my muffler’s busted and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced.
“And for sure, my spark plugs need to be changed,” Parton added, “You know as well as I know that I can’t lose my spark.”
Chuckling, the “Jolene” singer quipped: “I know I’m still crazy, but they didn’t mention nothing about my mental health.”
Acknowledging that she’s already spoken about her struggles with kidney stones — “Lord, they dig more stones out of me a year than they do the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee” — Parton continued: “But seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack for the past couple of years. And they’re working really hard on rebuilding and strengthening those.
“Hopefully, I’ll be up to snuff again soon,” she said.
Parton, who also postponed a string of concerts last year to undergo unspecified medical treatment, appeared in good spirits during her last public appearance: a March 13 keynote speech at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, saying she had been “worn down and worn out” in past months.
“I’ve not been touring, as you know,” Parton told the audience, as seen in footage shared by WVLT 8. “I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them.”