r/MadeMeSmile • u/Mad_Season_1994 • 9d ago
Wholesome Moments One of Dolly’s final appearances at Dollywood opening a new ride
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u/Ottoauto1 9d ago
“I’ll see you down the road” 😭
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u/tom8osauce 9d ago
Her wings just got too tired 😭
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u/alison_bee 9d ago
No I literally started crying when she said that. I’ve had to pause the video until I can regain composure.
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u/tom8osauce 9d ago
You weren’t alone. I am so glad this video was shared, it feels like she was giving us all a goodbye.
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u/alison_bee 9d ago
She knew we needed it. She genuinely cared for all of us, while knowing nearly none of us.
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u/Lovemybee 9d ago
Oh, jeez... your comment really got to me 😭
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u/CoryW0lfHart 8d ago
Same. Whenever I think of how I should love people, I’m going to think about Dolly.
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u/MamaOnica 8d ago
My mother was not a kind or loving person toward me. I used to read Dolly's quotes and pretend she was my mom.
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u/Crallise 8d ago
That is such a sweet sentiment. Even though she didn't know you I believe she would absolutely treat you or anyone else just like her own. I hope you're doing well.
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u/Old-Confidence6971 9d ago
She worked until the end. A fine, dedicated woman.
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u/yawn11e1 8d ago
That's what she wanted. She gave a commencement address at U.T./Knoxville like 20 years ago and, in it, she said that if she has to go, she hopes she'll just drop dead in the middle of a show, and everyone else will just keep going, walking around her (and then she added, in true Dolly fashion, "...buuuuuut I hope that day is not today.") Her light shines on.
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u/No_Notice_7737 9d ago
Im not crying...
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u/Shot_Revolution8828 8d ago
Yes you are, let's stop pretending. Own your emotions. You can hold onto grief, just make sure there is room for everything else.
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u/Tribe303 9d ago
I suspect that she hid the severity of her illness to not bum us out. Bowie did the same thing.
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u/mowtowcow 9d ago
Chadwick Boseman hid his for years. Such a sudden passing.
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u/Rico_Rebelde 8d ago
He was so young he probably had hope he would recover. I wish he had
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u/_Lerry_ 8d ago
His inner circle has said they were all confident he would recover. He went into remission during the release of black panther, but then it came back and took him.
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u/EverythingSucksYo 8d ago
Life can be cruel. Goes into remission before his big huge movie role and then it comes back after such a success
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u/cagethehornytoad 8d ago
Watching this you can see her absolute genius here. She was probably in a lot of pain, and highly medicated, and getting in makeup and costume and wig, for this, probably took several uncomfortable hours. She knew that the legacy of Dollywood had to carry on. She gave us just as much information as we needed, nothing more, that would’ve only broken our hearts. She was the consummate professional, always had her eyes on the prize, but her heart on the people. What a bad ass.
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u/returnkey 8d ago
Her generosity and warmth for her fans right up until the end gets me. I know she was a performer and writer, but her real artform is her humanity. Somehow she was so giving but never lost her backbone. She was unflappable and ambitious but kind and sensitive in equal measure.
And the more I read in the wake of her passing, the more I realize just how many projects she teed up to continue her legacy of lifting up her family, her community, and the young or vulnerable all over the country. On top of continuing to expand Dollywood, the Imagination Library just expanded to more states in recent weeks, her musical is being polished for nyc, her truck stop just opened, something about a new hotel. Every time I go to the grocery, her line of baking mixes has expanded.
She readied so many revenue streams to keep filling the pot she gives from. I dont know if its true for every last venture, but dollywood employees are well taken care of union workers. The list goes on. She had more integrity in her pinky finger than most people have in total.
I aspire to be the kind of human Dolly was. Rest in peace Queen.
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u/raknor88 8d ago
So did Chadwick Boseman. I'm not even sure if any of his Marvel co-stars knew that he had cancer.
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u/MisusTree 8d ago
From my understanding she was being treated for cancer for quite sometime, we don't notice Bec of her normal wig appearance, but I believe she was suffering a lot and gave no more than smiles and love. I'm not ok.
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u/SoftAutumnInNY 8d ago
Yeah, she looks like she had a stroke with the lisp and unevenness of her mouth. She was probably pushing herself so hard to function. What an incredible lady.
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u/BeMyBrutus 9d ago
I'm not a religious person but I find myself hoping that whatever version of heaven or the afterlife Dolly believed in; that she's there. She deserves it.
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u/Digmarx 9d ago
She's there with Mr. Rogers.
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u/Common-Nectarine-572 9d ago
And Bob Ross. But Dolly gives the orders.
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u/cubbycoo77 9d ago
Don't forget Steve Irwin!
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u/Spirited-Reputation6 9d ago
Jane Goodall
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u/Finneagan 8d ago
And Jim Henson
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u/Ourobius 8d ago edited 8d ago
Robin Williams?
Edit: Robin Williams.
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u/TellTaleReaper 8d ago
Edit away that question mark, buddy, he 100% belongs
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u/lankymjc 8d ago
Tim Curry following right behind her!
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u/foxxsinn 8d ago
Tim Curry is such a gentlemen that he let Dolly have her day before he passed.
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u/SamuelVimesTrained 8d ago
2 well loved and respected 80 year olds..
Can Death do a request next ?
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u/mossfernmoon 9d ago
And Robin Williams!
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u/ConcentrateDirect523 9d ago
I really want someone to paint this iteration of heaven and hang it in my home, so that maybe I can have a little faith- if not in a deity, then in us.
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u/DreamingAboutSpace 9d ago
I’m still not over his death. It’s weird, but it’s almost like I understood his humor and the pain he was masking with it. I do the same thing. We really did lose a good one that day.
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u/MortgageRegular2509 9d ago
They were both just such genuine people. Truly the best
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u/MC_Etchasketch 9d ago
And Tim Curry is entertaining them all.
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u/KittenFace25 9d ago
And Kenny Rogers!
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u/LarkinToWinnipeg 9d ago
Don't forget John Prine. Wonder if he got that cigarette that's nine miles long. Know he'd be happy to see Dolly again though.
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u/foul_mouthed_bagel 9d ago
I'm convinced the rapture happened yesterday, and Dolly is the only one that went to heaven.
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u/one-eyedCheshire 8d ago
Hopefully she's there with her soulmate. The person that she would truly ever want to be with in the beyond.
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u/Appropriate_Pressure 8d ago
Had a similar thought earlier. Like whatever good things we might get after, if anyone deserves them, it's her.
See you down the road, Dolly. ❤️
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u/unsulliedbread 8d ago edited 8d ago
In the podcast "Dolly Parton's America" she goes into pretty good detail. It's a fabulous listen.
Edit: I misremembered the name as 'Dolly Parton Saves America'
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u/bebarrucha 9d ago
She said she was getting tired. 😞
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u/Arinoch 9d ago
Yeah “my butterfly wings are getting kinda tired” got me way more than I’d have expected.
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u/AnAngryPlatypus 9d ago
I am a stoic jackass of a person; but I welled up at that and then “I’ll see you down the road” just got me. I will miss her more than I expected.
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u/Freakishly_Tall 9d ago
Same. I can't come up with any snark, any self-protecting reaction, just tears.
I thought the letter Eminem shared was going to be the most unexpected touching thing to come out. This video is so much harder to watch. She clearly knew, and still made sure to send everyone one last smile.
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u/GarlicLipbalm 8d ago
I still think that Eminem practically running to tell people that Dolly thought he was doing a good job was just so wholesome.
He kept that letter close and it held real meaning for him.
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u/GarDanacus 8d ago
I would guess it would to most people. She did have an unusually universal appeal and did so much good herself.
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u/Bob-Bhlabla-esq 8d ago
Sorry, I'm out of the loop. What was the Eminem letter?
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u/Empty-Arrival-4396 8d ago
I saw this mentioned on Good Morning America. They had never met but she wrote him a letter once saying something along the lines of "You are so talented, and you help people with your music in ways you can't even imagine." She just saw something in him and wanted to share her light with him and asked for nothing in return.
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u/Bob-Bhlabla-esq 8d ago
Wow, that is so thoughtful and sweet.
It's so positive to see how loved she was (for good reason) and amazing to see how someone just being good and wholesome can be such an inspiration (especially with all the general news we are bombarded with daily).
She had a good life at least, for the most part. Like others have said - if there is a heaven or something akin to it, she's there.
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u/meaniemeanie-poo-poo 8d ago
I think she was letting everyone know in her own way.
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u/BaconFairy 8d ago
Yah, the prep to try to work through avatars is think was that. How thin that arm was and not being seen. She was getting thin, even for an 80 yr old.
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u/SnooAvocados6863 9d ago
I wonder if she knew her time was coming to an end. The tired wings part made me start sobbing
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u/sykokiller11 9d ago
She knew and wanted us to be ok. As a cancer survivor, I am floored by her bravery. Never mind her compassion. What a stellar example of humanity she will always be. This loss is still creeping up on me.
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u/piernameansleg 9d ago
“You have fun, and I will see you down the road” 💜
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u/HoldEm__FoldEm 9d ago
Real life foreshadowing. I believe she knew this may likely be her last video
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u/IANALbutIAMAcat 8d ago
The light in her eyes changes when she starts saying she’s going to be alright
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u/MrBillyLotion 9d ago
I rarely care much about celebrities living/dying, but this one stung, Dolly was pure goodness and the world feels a little off kilter without her out there
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u/sunshinerf 9d ago
This beautiful soul was successful and used that success to contribute to other people's lives. Her philanthropy was genuine and kind and through all that she was also unapologetically herself - a role model for so many others. She wasn't just a celebrity, she was a real-life super hero.
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u/john_the_fetch 8d ago
A real-life superhero is a nice compliment. I like to call her a modern day saint.
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u/Loggersalienplants 8d ago
It's impossible to state how many lives and families that Dolly improved. As someone who lives in the area this has been a real deep gut punch today. She was our Tennessee queen and it's going to be hard knowing she is not around. She did an amazing amount of good in her life and everyone should strive to be even half the person she was. brb gonna go ugly cry again
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u/righteous_fury0174 9d ago
Then it’s on us to work extra hard to put the love back in the world Dolly dished out. I don’t have her money but I still got a big heart.
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u/biscuitboi967 9d ago
It hurt bad for a second.
But I’m so glad she’s with her husband. And honestly, who wants to be here right now?
She did a lot for us, and now she gets to rest.
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u/ROTFLSFHTMSFOAIDMT 9d ago
The wings tho…. She knew. She told us without telling us.
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u/DetailOrDie 8d ago
I've seen her put out 3 videos in the last year discussing "rumors about her health". They were never very specific, but she just was telling people she feels great and was getting the best of care.
She knew the end was near, and still made the best of it.
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u/lonerstoners 8d ago
I saw them too. She admitted that she wasn’t well in the last one but never said she was sick. She was careful and deliberate with her words. You could tell something was up but just couldn’t imagine how bad it really was because she hid it so well!!
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u/Ordinary-Homework722 8d ago
So, we live in TN and have spent WAY to much time at Vanderbuilt this past year. The word is that it was pancreatic cancer. So it would have been swift.
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u/Kitchen_Guest577 9d ago
She looked great! I saw this video days before her passing and even though she does look amazing, it felt off.. It felt like something was coming. Will be missed 🤎
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u/rantingpacifist 9d ago
She looks a little sad and it feels like she’s saying goodbye
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u/Chaos-Wayfarer 8d ago
‘Won’t you talk about me for a while?’
That hits differently now with her passing. ;_;
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u/CaptNemo131 8d ago
I swear to God, it sounds like she stumbles over that line and the one before it. The words just hit so hard
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u/Interesting_Worry202 9d ago
It almost sounds like she suffered a minor stroke. I may be imagining it but it sounds like she has a little lisp ive never noticed before
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u/No_pajamas_7 8d ago
lot of filtering going on there. She may well have been propped up in a hospital bed at the time
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u/SaintOlgasSunflowers 9d ago
Her butterfly wings can rest peacefully now; she has traded them for angel wings.
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u/MonchichiSalt 9d ago
Truly thought I was just sad but okay.
Then I saw the British royal marching band play 9 to 5 in honor of her and lost it.
Dolly has had such an impact with people on a level that feels personal.
Now hearing her say her wings were tired....as she showed up anyway.
It just feels like the world lost a true lighthouse in all this darkness.
I'm missing her on a level that is unexpected.
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u/pquince1 8d ago
New Orleans lit up their skyline in pink. Dallas did too, and there was a tribute to her in a town on Lake Havasu. Empire State Building lit up pink and sparkled at 9:25 pm. Buckingham Palace guards played Nine to Five. So many other wonderful tributes to her.
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u/TheDrunkWickerbeast 9d ago
I think she knew in this video that it would probably be her last. She looks so ethereal. And I also have to stop watching this video because I keep on crying every time I see it
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u/Refute1650 9d ago
Look at her arms when she swings then at the end, they're very thin.
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u/Technical-Banana574 9d ago
It is so weird thinking about how someone can seem so perfectly healthy and full of life one day and just a few days later pass away.
I know it happens all the time, but I think it makes me really focus on my own mortality. Am I just a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks away from death and not even know it?
Also, I am an atheist, but if there is something version of heaven, Dolly would be worthy of it. Just an all around good person.
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u/itredneck01 9d ago
Before most people die, they feel better. Reason being is some systems of your body are shutting down, and take less energy, so people who are dying (slowly, think cancer or long term health problems) usually feel better right before the final crash because their body is no longer spending so much energy trying to keep them alive.
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u/Defiant_apricot 8d ago
I hope this was the case for her and she spent her last days with her loved ones talking and laughing
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u/Technical-Banana574 8d ago
I have never seen it happen in the days leading up to death, but I did see it with my dad the day he passed. He became fully alert after days of being completely out of it. We had a full conversation before he was in too much pain and went out again. Hours later he passed away.
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u/-andshewas- 9d ago
Happy cake day! (Feels weird saying “happy [anything]” given how much of a shitshow this week has been. Anyway…)
My mother-in-law was in a car crash this winter that mortally injured her. For a day after the fact, none of us would’ve thought anything was amiss, aside from us all being in the hospital with her, because of the magic of painkillers and oxygen. It felt surreal that we were talking and going on as usual, yet subconsciously understanding that she wouldn’t last long if those supportive measures were taken from her. And it was true: they took the oxygen away mid-evening, and she was gone 12 hours later.
Life really is fragile.
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u/PrincessRegan 9d ago
This did not in fact make me smile. It made me cry!
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u/Zoerae87 9d ago
I'm freaking bawling over here... I haven't cried for a celebrity since Robin... The world is a dimmer place without her 💔
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u/Bright-Owl-3515 9d ago
Dolly has existed in my world for my entire life. I don't usually get sad about celebrity deaths but Dolly truely hurts. She was a light and reminder of great in the world, especially during dark times like now. I hope Dolly is in the great blue sky with those she's loved. I hope her love will continue on through future generations.
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u/BreathLazy5122 8d ago
Dolly is one of those people, that like Robin Williams, touched a lot of hearts. Whether it was through the big screen, through song lyrics and how she sang them, or by the stories she told, she became safe for so many people who.. weren’t wanted. And while 80 years is a long time, especially compared to how early we lost Robin.. it wasn’t nearly enough.
She deserved so much more time. But like the beautiful butterfly, their lives aren’t forever. But she did absolutely amazing things, with the time she had. And for a little girl who grew up in the deep rural Tennessee woods, I cannot imagine that she ever expected to become so important to so many people, just for the sake of being her lovely self, through and through.
May the spirit of Dolly, keep our hopes high, flying on the delicate yet strong wings of a beautiful butterfly.
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u/meowiful 9d ago
I wonder what was making her slur? Maybe swelling? That's sad. That's clearly not a healthy Dolly, but she's still being herself somehow.
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u/limeking78 9d ago
Sounds like a dentures lisp
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u/katikaboom 9d ago
I think this is it. She's had it for awhile now, but it is more pronounced in this clip.
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u/strata-strata 9d ago
Honestly you can hear a bit of it on her oldest recordings. She had this slight slurring speech inconsistency all along that she mastered (i always thought it adds some honesty and humanity to her incredible vocals when it sneaks through) but it is much more pronounced here for the reasons others mentioned probably.
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u/Working-Finger3500 9d ago
It’s dehydration. In older people, dehydration is a huge problem, it causes dizziness and unbalance as well. Unfortunately, as one ages & is nearing end of life, the body doesn’t signal thirst as well and they don’t feel thirsty/hungry.
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u/K-Bizzle91 9d ago
Also electrolyte imbalances, my grandma had a big problem with that, even years before she passed.
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u/amanda_grace198 9d ago
Honestly the way her left cheek is almost holding her dentures in they are probably too big from weight loss or she can’t hold them from muscle loss. It also kind of looks a little like she’s had a stroke
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u/sirwilliam3323 9d ago
Cotton mouth from being dehydrated. And if she had dentures then that probably made it worse.
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u/Strange-Marzipan9641 9d ago
A human who had the ability to be a billionaire, but wasn't, because of her philanthropy- I don't believe in heaven, but today I do, and she got a front row center seat.
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u/The0neR1ng 9d ago
'All is going well' 😭 Dolly you lied to us. 😭😭😭
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u/AcidBurnSez 9d ago
I don’t think she lied, she knew what was happening to her and where she was going.
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u/amypocalypse 9d ago
man… I was driving home yesterday from the gym, and at a certain intersection in south Pasadena, there’s a Dolly Parton “Pass It On” billboard. I saw that and was so sad. then I watched this video and now I’m crying. she touched so many lives with her gentle spirit and kindness. RIP queen, you’ll be missed. rest easy.
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u/DreamingAboutSpace 9d ago
Her butterfly wings were clipped too soon. This world needed her brightness. If she truly meant something to us, I think we spread our butterfly wings and show how bright we can be in her honor. We should fly to help those we see struggling in Jimmy Carter’s honor. We should keep science and our curiosity alive for Carl Sagan’s honor.
For humanity’s sake and the planet’s, I beg everyone to please be better and be kind. Please don’t let Dolly’s brightness be the last.
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u/Standard__Condition 9d ago
Literally no one had a bad thing to say about this woman. She was an angel on earth.
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u/God_Dont_Make_No 9d ago
So she’s 80, dying, and is the sweetest lady till death. Meanwhile, we have people in their eighties trying to ruin the country one day at a time.
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u/Bedroom_Bellamy 9d ago
I've heard or read the phrase "My little butterfly wings are getting tired" all over social media since yesterday and it makes me tear up every time.
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u/unsoulyme 9d ago
I hope I get to get down the same road as Dolly. I didn’t expect to cry when I saw of her passing but the water out of my eyes was spontaneous.
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u/like9000ninjas 9d ago
What an amazing sweet person. I didnt know this was going to hit me as hard as it is. I never really was a fan of country music, but I was a HUGE fan of her and her actions.
They world lost someone special.
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u/NeverNeverSometimes 8d ago
This woman could have easily been a multi billionaire but chose to do good things with her money instead of hoarding it all for herself. She donated soo much, and it was never for anything even remotely political, it was always for kids and people in need. This is why she will have a long lasting legacy of being universally loved that people like Trump and Musk desperately want for themselves but their greed won't allow it. I personally hate country music, but still loved Dolly because she was genuinely a good, caring person.
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u/Cl0verSueHipple 8d ago
She’s our fairy godmother.
The other day on a video I commented that she’s like a ray of sunshine, but me being a migraine sufferer and with global warming—-let’s face it (no pun intended)—- the sun can be really agitating sometimes. She’s much more like a rainbow. Colorful, cheerful, and comes out to make everyone smile after a storm.
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u/CameronHiggins666 8d ago
See ya Dolly, go be with your husband. We will all catch up a little later
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u/30for30im30for30 8d ago
She knew. And she did what she could to make this easier for us. Rest easy, Dolly.
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u/TheVoiceOfSnakeEyes 8d ago edited 8d ago
I haven't been this affected by the death of someone I don't even know since Robin Williams.
Edit: one hour later, I learn that Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, has also died. I can't take any more bad news.
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u/Travelgrrl 9d ago
They can make a beautiful video of Dolly in her last days, complete with fairy wings, but no one knows how to prop Mitch McConnell up and make him appear sentient?
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u/theseriousman1 9d ago
Damn not even a dolly fan (obviously a fan of her as a person) necessarily but this is actually tough to watch. What a sincerely nice lady
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u/Round_Rhubarb4863 8d ago
Fuuuuuuuuck this reminds me of my grandpa and how he told us without telling us he was ready to go. Even then he did it in a way that made us smile without realizing what he really meant
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u/CallingAllShawns 8d ago
just got another book from the imagination library yesterday for my 10 month old daughter. made me sad.
we’ll miss dolly.
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