Dolly Parton says: “I’m not dead yet!” after sister’s call to prayer raises concerns about singer’s health

Dolly Parton has a message for her fans following her sister Freida Parton’s disturbing message: she’s not dead yet!

The country singer shared an Instagram video Wednesday, in which she was filmed in front of a green screen while filming a commercial for the Grand Ole Opry. She captioned the post: “I’m not dead yet!”

“I wanted to say I know lately everyone thinks I’m sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I work hard here,” Parton said in the video. “Anyway, I wanted to reassure everyone.”

THE happy noise The star expressed gratitude for everyone’s prayers and said that although she is doing well, she is finally taking care of some health issues that she had put aside due to illness and the month of March. death of her husband, Carl Dean.

“I didn’t take care of myself, so I let go of a lot of things that I should have taken care of,” she said. “Anyway, when I got there, the doctor said, ‘We have to take care of this. We have to take care of that.'” Those procedures, she said, forced her to stay closer to home, hence why she canceled events and shows.

Parton also mocked an AI video of Reba McEntire standing over her deathbed, which floated around the internet following Parton’s sister’s post.

“There’s a lot of rumors going around, but I thought if you heard it from me, you’d know I was okay. So anyway, that’s what I wanted to say, and I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is done with me, and I’m not done working,” she said.

Speculation about Parton’s health came after Freida Parton, the country music icon’s 68-year-old sister, wrote on Facebook Tuesday to pray for Parton. But Freida clarified her comments later Tuesday, writing on Facebook: “I want to clarify something. I didn’t want to scare anyone or make it seem like it was that serious by asking for prayers for Dolly.

“She was struggling a bit and I just asked for prayers because I deeply believe in the power of prayer,” Freida wrote. “It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. Thank you all for raising her. Your love truly makes a difference.”

Freida had already asked her fans to pray for her sister. “Last night I was “I stayed up all night praying for my sister Dolly,” Freida wrote. “I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been led to ask everyone who loves it to be prayer warriors and pray with me.”

Freida, one of Parton’s 11 siblings and a musician herself, added: “She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being raised for her, I know in my heart she’ll be just fine. Good luck, sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

This isn’t the first time Parton’s health has made the news in recent weeks. On September 28, Parton, 79, wrote about Instagram that its series of concerts initially scheduled for December 2025 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas would be postponed to September 2026.

“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health issues and my doctors are telling me I need to have a few procedures,” the “Jolene” singer said in her post.

Parton said she joked with her doctors about the need for her “100,000-mile exam,” noting that “it wasn’t the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon.” Because of the anonymous proceedings, she wrote, she would not be able to rehearse and put on the show fans deserved to see.

For those worried about Parton’s retirement, she said they don’t need to worry about her “leaving the company” because “God hasn’t said anything about quitting yet.” »

“But I believe He is telling me to slow down now so I can be ready for more great adventures with all of you,” she concluded in her message, which also appeared on his website. “I love you and thank you for your understanding.”

Earlier in September, Parton missed an event at her theme park, Dollywood, instead appearing to share virtually that she had developed an infection caused by a kidney stone and he was advised not to travel.

“I was waiting for it with so much impatience,” she said in the message. “But I’m here with you in spirit.”