UPDATE: Dolly Parton wants her fans to know that although there are “a lot of rumors going around,” she's doing okay.
Parton said that “lately everyone thinks I'm sicker than I am” and wanted to open up about her health struggles in an Instagram video.
“Well, it's October 8th, and obviously I'm here. … I look sick, don't you think? I'm working hard here,” Parton said on the set of a Grand Ole Opry commercial. “I wanted to reassure everyone who is really worried and I appreciate that – and I appreciate your prayers because I am a man of faith, I can always use prayers for anything and everything – but I want you to know that I am okay!”
“Like I said, I have some issues,” Parton continued. “When my husband Carl was very sick – it was for a long time – and then when he died, I didn't take care of myself, so I missed out on a lot of things that I should have taken care of. Anyway, when I got to that point, the doctor said we need to take care of this. We need to take care of this.”
Parton said it was “nothing serious, but I had to cancel some things to be closer to home” and closer to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, “where I'm getting a few treatments here and there, but I wanted you to know that I'm not dying.”
She also joked about an AI photo circulating online showing her on her “deathbed” with Reba McEntire next to her.
“Did you see that AI photo of Reba and me? Oh, Lord! I mean, Reba was at my deathbed and we both look like we need to be buried. I thought, oh my Lord. But if I was really dying, I don't think Reba would be on my deathbed. She could have come to see me sooner,” she added.
“There's a lot of rumors going around, but I thought if you heard it from me, you'd know I'm okay,” she said. “Anyway, that's what I wanted to say and I'm not ready to die yet. I don't think God is done with me and I'm not done working yet. So I love you for caring and keep praying for me.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Dolly Parton Freida Parton's sister shares news after she asked fans to pray for her sister's recovery a week after the singer has postponed her upcoming Las Vegas residency due to health problems.
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“I want to make something clear,” Frida, 68. wrote in a post on Facebook. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it so serious when I asked them to pray for Dolly.”
Freida said Parton, 79, was “a little unwell, 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. Thank you everyone for supporting her. Your love really makes a difference,” she added.
Earlier on Tuesday Frida switched to Facebook share news about Jolene singer with a photo of Parton praying.
“I spent the entire night praying for my sister Dolly last night. As many of you know, she hasn't been feeling her best lately,” she wrote. “I truly believe in the power of prayer and I had to ask the whole world that loves it to become prayer warriors and pray with me.
“She's strong, she's loved, and despite all the prayers that are said for her, I know she'll be okay. God bless my sissy Dolly. We all love you.”
Hours after Frida's last message, Parton's 76-year-old sister Stella also shared an update on Facebooktalking about the criticism she received from fans for not opening up about her sister's health.
“My older sister Dolly posted last week giving her fans an update on her health and that she is seeking treatment for kidney stones,” Stella wrote.
She said Frieda was “worried” and asked her to “pray for Dolly.”
“Personally, I respect the privacy of ALL my family members and will not disrespect them by discussing their personal matters with anyone,” she continued. “If you want more information, please check out their pages. That being said, those of you who feel the need to attack or insult me because I am not serving as your information booth, you are not actually fans.
“If you were him, you wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to say some of the hurtful things you've posted on my various social media platforms over the last 24 hours! Personally, I appreciate those of you who genuinely care about Dolly, and so do my family members.”
Parton postponed her first Las Vegas residency after 32 years due to “health problems” at the end of September. She did not specify what health problems she had.
The country music icon announced the news in an Instagram post on Sept. 28, telling fans that she wanted them to “hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will have to postpone my upcoming shows in Las Vegas.”
“As many of you know, I have health issues and my doctors are telling me I need to have several procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000 mile checkup, although this is no ordinary trip to my plastic surgeon!” That from 9 to 5 the singer wrote.
“Seriously, with this in mind, I won't be able to rehearse and put on the show I want you to see and the show you deserve to see. You're paying good money to see me perform, and I want to be the best for you.”
She assured fans that “don't worry about me leaving the business because God hasn't said anything about it yet.”
Parton was scheduled to perform six concerts at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace within Dolly: Live in Las Vegas from Dec. 4 to 13, coinciding with the National Finals Rodeo. Its dates have been moved to September 2026.
Earlier in September, Parton canceled a planned visit after announcing a new attraction at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee.
“I had a kidney stone that was giving me a lot of problems, but it turned out that it had infected me and the doctor said, 'You don't need to hit the road right now, so you need a few days to get better,'” Parton said. in a video ad at that time.
