Dolly Parton is speaking out after her sister prompted widespread concern for the legendary singer’s health amid the postponement of a string of live shows — insisting she “aint dead yet!”
In a video posted Wednesday on Instagram, Parton said she was working on commercials for the Grand Ole Opry and wanted to put people’s minds at ease, providing an update to fans about her health.
“Everyone thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!” Parton, 79, added in the video, which was captioned “I ain’t dead yet!”
The public concern surged Tuesday afternoon, when her younger sister, Freida Parton, posted that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly.”
“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,” Freida Parton added.
The post generated news coverage and attracted almost 4,000 comments and 19,000 shares on Facebook, largely from concerned fans, which later prompted Freida Parton to clarify her remarks Tuesday night.
“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 said.
“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.”
In the video Wednesday, Parton said she appreciated the concern and prayers and noted that she has “some problems, as I’ve mentioned.” Parton said that after her husband, Carl, died in May, she did not take care of herself and “let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of.”
“When I got around to it, the doctor said we need to take care of this, we need to take care of that,” she said. “Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home and closer to Vanderbilt [University Medical Center], you know, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.
Parton announced on Sept. 29 that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency because of “some health challenges” that would require “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!” she added.
The Vegas shows were scheduled to take place at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace from Dec. 4 to Dec. 13. They have been rescheduled for September next year, and tickets already purchased will be valid for those shows.
At the time, Parton said she would be able to work on projects from Nashville but wouldn’t be able to rehearse for the live shows. She stressed that there was no chance of her 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 through with me, and I ain’t done working,” she concluded the video.
Samantha Cookinham contributed.