Dolly Parton Speaks Out After Sister Clarifies Prayer Request Amid Icon’s Health Challenges

Dolly Parton is giving fans the reassurance they were hoping for. The music icon spoke out amid health concerns that went into overdrive following a Facebook post from her sister, Freida Parton, in which she said she had been “up all night praying” for Dolly. Though the singer’s rep did confirm to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Dolly is undergoing treatment for kidney stones, they also noted that the frenzy surrounding Dolly’s well-being had been “blown out of proportion.” Dolly herself explained in a new Instagram video on Oct. 8 that she’s “okay” but “having some problems” that are “nothing major” and she “wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease” once and for all. “I wanted you to know that I’m not dying,” she continued, poking fun of an AI-generated image that circulated online showing pal Reba McEntire at her deathbed. “We both look like we need to be buried,” she joked, before thanking well wishers for sending their love. “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done the working. So I love you for caring, and keep praying for me,” she concluded. Dolly’s message came hours after an update from Freida clarifying that she hadn’t meant to cause such a stir with her original post. “She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer,” she wrote on Facebook.