In an interview with the Daily Mail about her new book, 'Dolly on Dolly, Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton' the entertainer said her dog stopped her from pulling the trigger and believes God intervened.
The 71-year-old named a series of events leading up to her contemplating suicide. She said gained fifty pounds in the early 1980s due to binge eating and got death threats and had to cancel her tour because of it.
The singer also explained she was heartbroken when her extramarital affair ended badly.
She told the newspaper: "I was sitting upstairs in my bedroom one afternoon when I noticed in the nightstand 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 I suddenly froze.
"I put the gun down. Then I prayed. I kind of believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God.
"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."
Parton grew up in a Christian household and began singing in church at 5-years-old.
