Dolly Parton has taken to social media to share a health update, after her sister Freida Parton sparked mass concern over the well-being of her famous sibling.
The 79-year-old showed that she was not in her sick bed (or death bed as some AI photos suggested) and was in fact working, filming commercials for Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
”I’m not ready to die yet,” she told fans in a clip on Instagram.
She addressed online concerns by asking fans with a laugh “Do I look sick to you?” as she appeared in full hair and make-up in a country and western inspired outfit, sitting in front of a green screen.
“Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease,” she told fans.
“Those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate, and I appreciate your prayers, because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything, but I want you to know that I’m OK.”
The concern for the singer’s health came after her younger sister asked fans to pray for Dolly amid health troubles, which led to the cancellation of her planned Las Vegas residency.
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To help put fans at ease, the Jolene singer explained her health concerns a little more in the new clip.
Dolly said while look after her “very sick” husband Carl Dean, who died in March, she “didn’t take care of myself”.
“I let a lot of things go that I should have been taken care of,” she explained.
“So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said, we need to take care of this, we need to take care of that – nothing major.”
Dolly is “having a few treatments” at Vanderbilt but didn’t divulge any further details about the cause of her problems.
“There are just a lot of rumours flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” she added.
Freida, one of Dolly’s 11 siblings, also took to social media on Wednesday, clarifying her Facebook comments that started the frenzy.
“I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote.
“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.
“Thank you all for lifting her up. Your love truly makes a difference.”
Freida’s comments caused an online frenzy of speculation about the singers health as they came a week after Dolly postponed her Las Vegas residency to have medical procedures.
The panic then prompted The Coat Of Many Colours singer’s manager to speak out.
“It’s just the kidney stones, and the procedure she needs to resolve those,” Olly Rowland said.
“It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion, weirdly.”
A few weeks ago, the 9 to 5 singer pulled out of a planned appearance at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, where she was set to announce a new attraction. This was due to an infected kidney stone.
“I had a little problem, I had a kidney stone, which caused me a lot of problems,” Dolly told fans in a pre-recorded video message.
Then in a lengthy statement last week, Dolly told fans her health woes were continuing and required medical intervention.
“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” she wrote.
While the news disappointed fans, it didn’t cause any alarm till Freida said she “was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly”.
“Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Freida wrote.
“I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.
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Dolly Parton through the years: 1955 to 2022
“She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”
The I Will Always Love You singer’s Las Vegas residency was set to take place from December 4-13 but has now been rescheduled for September 2026.
The singer has thrown herself into her work following the loss of her husband of 58 years earlier this year.
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