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Dolly Parton shared a statement to address recent rumors about her health on Wednesday (October 8).
The beloved Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee recorded her statement while sitting in front of a green screen, working on promos for the Grand Ole Opry. Parton, 79, showed that she’s “working hard here,” and said she wanted “to put everybody’s mind at ease” after rumors spread about her health. That includes, Parton noted, an AI-generated photo of fellow country legend Reba McEntire “at my death bed, and we both look like we need to be buried. I thought, ‘oh, my Lord!’” Parton explained that she “didn’t take care of myself” when her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died earlier this year, so now, her doctors have offered advice to address non-major health concerns.
“Lately, everybody thinks that I’m sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here,” Parton said. “Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, 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. I’ve got some problems as I’ve mentioned. Back when my husband, Carl, was very sick — that was for a long time — and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of. 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, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to [Vanderbilt University Medical Center], you know, where I’m having a few treatments here and there. But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.
“There’s just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK,” Parton said. “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me and I ain’t done working.”
Parton’s statement arrives one day after her sister, Freida Parton, asked others to join her in praying for the country star. Freida, 68, wrote in a post on Facebook on Tuesday (October 7): “Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. 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. 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!”
Hours later, Freida shared another statement to clarify that she hadn’t intended “to scare anyone” about Parton’s health when asking for prayers: “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly. 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.”
Some fans first felt concern for Parton’s health when she was unable to attend a Dollywood event in person last month. Parton said at the time that she’d “had a little problem.” She said a kidney stone had “given me an infection. …Don’t worry about me. I’m gonna be OK.” Shortly after that, Parton posted a statement to share that she would postpone her residency, Dolly: Live in Las Vegas, as she’s “dealing with some health challenges.”
“I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts,” reads the September 28 statement. “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. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon! In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you. While I’ll still be able to work on all of my projects from here in Nashville, I just need a little time to get show ready, as they say. And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet. But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you. I love you and thank you for understanding.”