Dolly Parton is setting the record straight about her health. She posted a video on Instagram on Wednesday morning to address fans’ concerns.
“Well, today’s October the eighth, and obviously I’m here doing some commercials for the Grand Ole Opry, which is why I’m dressed kind of like a country western girl. But before I got started, I wanted to say, I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here,” she explained.
The “Islands in the Stream” singer said she “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 okay,” she said.
Parton then explained that she’s “got some problems,” which she mentioned last week when she revealed she would have to postpone her Las Vegas residency.
“As I 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 have been taken care of,” she said. “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, you know, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there, but I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”
The 11-time Grammy award winner then talked about the AI pictures floating around the internet of her and Reba McEntire, which depicts Parton on her deathbed.
“We both look like we need to be buried,” she laughed. “But I thought, ‘Oh, my Lord, if I was really dying, I don’t think Reba would be the one at my deathbed, she might come visit me earlier,’ but anyway, there are just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay.’”
“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,” she ended her video message.
On Tuesday, Parton’s sister, Freida, worried fans when she asked for their prayers for Dolly. Hours later she clarified her comments.
“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,” Freida Parton said on Facebook Tuesday night. “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.”
Early Wednesday morning, Dolly’s other sister Stella weighed in on X.
“To those with genuine concern for my big sister Dolly’s well-being, she posted a video last week to share with her fans that she has had kidney stones and is getting treatment. My sister Freida is always concerned when one of her siblings isn’t feeling well, so she asks for prayers on Dolly’s behalf,” she explained. “It’s my job as a sister to both of them to love and respect their privacy as I expect them to do for me.”
The post Dolly Parton breaks silence on her health: ‘Do I look sick to you?’ appeared first on KTLA.
