Dolly Parton is speaking out after her sister sparked widespread concern about the legendary singer's health amid postponement of a number of live performances – insisting that she “isn't dead yet!”
In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday.Parton explained that she was working on a commercial for the Grand Ole Opry and wanted to reassure people by providing fans with updates about their health.
“Everyone thinks I’m sicker than I really am. Do I look sick to you? I work a lot here!” — the 79-year-old singer added in the video with the caption “I’m not dead yet!”
Public concern grew Tuesday afternoon when her younger sister, Freida Parton, wrote that she was “up all night praying for my sister Dolly.”
“She's strong, she's loved, and despite all the prayers that are being said for her, I know she's going to be okay,” Frieda Parton added.
The post sparked news coverage and attracted nearly 4,000 comments and 19,000 shares on Facebook, mostly from concerned fans of the 79-year-old country queen, later prompting Freida Parton to clarify her remarks on Tuesday night.
“I want to clear something up. I didn't mean to scare anyone or make it so serious when I asked them to pray for Dolly,” she said.
“She was a little out of it and I just asked for prayer because I believe so much in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. Thanks to everyone for supporting her. Your love really matters.”
In Wednesday's video, Parton said she appreciates the concern and prayers and noted that she has “some issues, as I mentioned.” Parton explained that following the death of her husband Karl in Mayshe didn't take care of herself and “missed a lot of things that I should have taken care of.”
“When I got to it, the doctor said we need to take care of this, we need to take care of this,” Parton explained in the video. “Nothing major, but I had to cancel some things to be closer to home and closer to Vanderbilt, you know, where I'm getting a few treatments here and there.
Last month Parton announced that she is postponing her Las Vegas residency on Sept. 29 due to “some health issues” that will require “multiple procedures.”
“As I joked to them, it must be time for my 100,000 mile checkup, although this is no ordinary trip to my plastic surgeon!” Parton added.
The Vegas shows were scheduled to take place at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace from December 4 to 13. postponed to September next year and tickets already purchased will be valid for these performances.
At the time, Parton said she would be able to work on projects from Nashville, but would not be able to rehearse for live performances. She stressed that she had no chance of quitting music, “because God hasn’t said anything about me stopping yet.”
“I'm not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is done with me and I’m not done with the work yet,” Parton concluded the video.
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