Dolly Parton's health has been a concern since she posted on Instagram about having to postpone her Las Vegas shows due to several health issues she and her doctors were in the process of addressing.
Her sister, Freida Parton, accidentally encouraged the noise when she asked for prayers for Dolly, followed by offering an apology for stirring up concern across the Dolly community.
In response to the rumors spreading about her health, Parton posted a video on all of her social media platforms, appearing as her cheery self before shooting content for a series of commercials for the Grand Ole Opry.
The caption on the video was:
"I ain't dead yet!"
Parton explained:
"Lately, everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. But do I look sick to you?! I'm working hard here!"
"Anyway, I wanted to put everybody's mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate."
"I appreciate your prayers, 'cause 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."
The "9 to 5" singer also opened up about how she'd put her health on hold for a while.
"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’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, closer to Vanderbilt [University Medical Center], where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there, but I wanted you to know that I’m not dying."
Dolly Parton ended the video with her usual sweet, bright, and faithful demeanor.
"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."
"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."
You can watch the video here:
Fans were relieved to hear from Dolly herself that she was okay.
Rumors are quick to spread, especially when it seems that a relationship is dissolving or someone's health is at risk, and for someone as beloved as Dolly Parton, the news spreads faster than a new viral cover of "Jolene"!
But we're happy to hear that Parton is doing well and continues to work on her projects, even if a few things have had to be postponed. Sometimes it's better to listen to our bodies instead of constantly pushing ourselves to do more.