Dolly Parton, the 79-year-old country music legend, wants everyone to hear it directly from her: She’s fine. The singer posted a video to make some clarifications on her health.
The post comes after Parton’s sister, Freida, made a late-night call for prayers on social media, kicking off a wave of concern.
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Parton took time to make the video before shooting commercials for the Grand Ole Opry.
‘I ain’t dead yet’
“I know lately everybody thinks that I am 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 who 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.”
Parton said she’s been feeling under the weather and is undergoing “a few treatments,” but assured fans that it’s nothing serious.
She admitted that after losing her husband, Carl Dean, earlier this year, she “let a few things go” health-wise. Now, Parton says she is taking care of some of those things.
She said she wanted to be closer to home and Vanderbilt, where she’s having treatments done. Parton did not say what kind of treatments, but reiterated she’s “not dying.”
“There are just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK,” she said. “So anyhow, that’s what I wanted to say, and I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working, so I love you for caring and keep praying for me.”
Her sister, Freida, later clarified online that her prayer request was “just a little sister worried about her big sister.”
Dolly captioned her video “I ain’t dead yet.”
Vegas residency postponed
The video comes a month after Parton announced she was postponing her December concerts in Vegas until 2026 due to health challenges.
At the time, she said she was dealing with some health challenges and that her doctors had told her she needed some procedures.
In the social media post announcing the postponement, Parton joked, “It must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”
In the post, Parton also added that God isn’t done with her, he was just telling her to slow down.
“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,” Parton wrote.
Parton’s Vegas residency will now run from Sept. 17 to Sept. 26, 2026.
