Dolly Parton: ‘My Dog Saved Me From Committing Suicide’


Dolly Parton may be one of the most well-known country singers in the world, but it doesn’t mean she hasn’t had dark times. Recently, the “9 to 5” hitmaker revealed that was so depressed at one point that she thought about committing suicide. She even got quite close, by taking a firearm out of the drawer and readying herself to pull the trigger.

However, the country music legend revealed that her dog, Popeye, stopped her at the last minute. Dolly Parton revealed that she had the gun loaded and was ready to shoot, but Popeye bounded upstairs, which startled her and made her rethink her decision to end her life.

According to reports, Dolly Parton went into a deeply depressive state after an affair she was having abruptly ended. The identity of the man is unknown, and she has stated that she will take his identity to her grave. It is believed the affair took place when Dolly was in her 30s.

“I was sitting upstairs in my bedroom one afternoon when I noticed in the night-stand drawer my gun that I keep for burglars.

“I looked at it a long time. Then, just as I picked it up, just to hold it and look at it for a moment, our little dog Popeye came running up the stairs.

“The tap-tap-tap of his paws jolted me back to reality and I suddenly froze.

“I put the gun down. Then I prayed. I kinda believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God” she wrote in her book Dolly on Dolly.

Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, were married for 50 years. During that time the couple enjoyed an “open relationship,” meaning they both saw other people as they saw fit during their time together. However, it is speculated that their open relationship meant their sexual liaisons were reserved for one another.

Although Dolly Parton is keeping mum on her mystery man, some think it was Gregg Perry who produced the soundtrack to The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which Dolly Parton starred in in 1982.

It is also speculated that Dolly Parton may have and an affair with Judy Ogle, a close friend of hers. And while rumors swirl surrounding her sexuality, she has not admitted to being a lesbian or bisexual.

She has also talked about the rumors surrounding her extramarital relationships.

“People always ask me if I’ve had extramarital affairs, and you can draw your own conclusions. All I will say is that my husband Carl is a wonderful man and we’ll be together till one of us dies,” she has said.

Despite this setback, Dolly Parton has continued to remain in the public eye for many years. The 71-year-old has been singing since her debut album in 1967, Hello, I’m Dolly. Moreover, while Loretta Lynn is the most awarded female country singer of all time, Dolly Parton remains the most honored of female country singers.

As a writer, the songstress has written over 3,000 songs and has also starred in several films.

In addition to her success as a performer, she owns the Dollywood amusement park, which was one of the first theme parks to have special rooms and areas for children with autism.

Dolly Parton also recently donated millions of her fortune to victims of the Tennessee wildfires, giving 900 families $10,000 each to help rebuild their lives. She has also thrown in an additional $3 million to start the Mountain Tough Recovery Fund, which will also continue to help families that have been affected by the fires.

She made a statement about her generous donation.

“Things you don’t even think about. For instance, medicine for older people, or people that have maybe been injured in the fire.

“Or people that have jobs, but don’t have transportation that maybe lost their cars in the fire. Lot of them did.

“Just those special needs that you don’t even realise they can go to the Mountain Tough folk.

“So they are set up to take care of that,” she said.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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