“I kinda believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God,” she says.
Trigger Warning: This story contains details about the ideation of suicide that may be disturbing to readers.
Dolly Parton is 76!
The icon marked the occasion by sharing a glamorous shot on Instagram, in which she's wearing a hot pink, silky skirt, and blazer suit with red, lace lingerie underneath and matching red nails and jewelry.
"Just hangin' out in my birthday suit!" she captioned the Instagram post.
Dolly Parton is honestly the epitome of joy, isn't she? I mean, it's hard not to be cheerful yourself when you're around her. Parton's been married to her husband Carl Dean for over 52 years, and without a doubt, they have one of the most enviable relationships in the industry. But, they didn't get where they are, without going through their fair share of problems.
Despite having such a lovely and joyous personality, Parton has experienced pain and heartbreak, just like the rest of us, and once it pushed her into such depression that she contemplated suicide.
She wouldn't have been a part of this world, had it not been for her dog, Popeye. He saved her life after the pet came running up the stairs, just as she was considering pulling the trigger of a gun, according to HuffPost.
The 76-year-old country singer makes the revelation in an interview published in the new book, Dolly On Dolly, Interviews And Encounters With Dolly Parton.
“I was sitting upstairs in my bedroom one afternoon when I noticed in the nightstand drawer my gun that I keep for burglars,” she explained. “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 I suddenly froze. I put the gun down. Then I prayed.”
“I kinda believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God,” she says. “I don’t think I’d have done it, killed myself, but I can’t say for sure. Now that I’ve gone through that terrible moment, I can certainly understand the possibilities even for someone solid like me if the pain gets bad enough.”
You know, people talk about these signs they get from their guardian angel when they are in danger or when they're about to do something that might cause harm to them. For Parton, Popeye their dog was her guardian angel.
If it weren't for him, she might not have been here to celebrate her 76th birthday. Here's hoping she gets to celebrate many, many more journeys around the sun!
References:
https://people.com/country/dolly-parton-76th-birthday/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY68GTXl159/
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dolly-parton-suicide_uk_590c51ace4b0d5d9049b6cbe
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Terry Wyatt
