Dolly Parton has a simple message for fans worried about her health: “I ain’t dead yet.”
The 79-year-old country icon shared a video statement on Instagram Wednesday after her sister, Freida Parton, sparked concerns about her health.
On Tuesday, Freida, 68, asked for prayers for Parton, who said last month she’s been dealing with “some health challenges”.
Parton said in her video Wednesday: “I wanted to say I know lately everybody thinks I am sicker than I am — do I look sick to you?
“I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I want you to know that I’m okay. I’ve got some problems as I’ve mentioned.”
She continued: “Back when my husband, Carl, was very sick, that was for a long time. When he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of. 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 and closer to Vanderbilt [University Medical Center], you know, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.”
Parton went on to joke about an AI image of her circulating that showed her on her “deathbed” with Reba McEntire beside her.
“We both looked like we need to be buried,” she quipped.
“There’s just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” Parton said, concluding: “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.”
“I ain’t dead yet,” she added in the caption.
Earlier Wednesday, Parton’s other sister, Stella, 76, gave further insight into the “9 to 5” singer’s wellbeing, saying that she had “kidney stones and is getting treatment”.
Hours after Freida’s initial Facebook post, in which she asked fans to pray for Parton, she later clarified that she didn’t mean to scare anyone or give a grave impression with her message.
Freida said that, while Dolly had been “a little under the weather”, she “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,” she wrote on Facebook.
Last month, Parton was forced to postpone her Las Vegas residency in order to undergo a series of medical procedures.
“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have 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 said on Instagram.
“In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.”
Her Vegas residency, which was scheduled to run last month, will now go ahead from September 17 to September 26, 2026.
Earlier this year, Parton lost her longtime husband, Carl Dean, who died at the age of 82.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” Parton said at the time.
