Dolly Parton Just Said What Everyone Was Thinking — and It’s Not the Goodbye You Feared. ML
Dolly Parton Speaks Out: “I Ain’t Done Working”
Dolly Parton knows her fans. And when they start to worry, she shows up—honest, kind, and still full of sparkle.
On Wednesday, the 79-year-old country legend and national treasure took to social media to calm growing concerns about her health. In a short video, filmed in between shoots for the Grand Ole Opry, Dolly smiled and said, “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here… I want you to know that I’m OK.”
The message came after weeks of fan speculation. Dolly had missed a Dollywood appearance in late September due to kidney stones. A short while later, she postponed six Las Vegas concerts scheduled for December. Fans were left wondering—and worrying.
But behind the cancellations was something very human: grief.
“When [my husband] passed, I didn’t take care of myself,” Dolly explained, referring to Carl Dean, her husband of nearly six decades, who died in March at 82. “So I let a lot of things go that should’ve been taken care of.”
By the time she got checked out, doctors told her there were several things to address. Still, she reassured fans that “there’s nothing major”—just that she needs to stay near home for now to receive treatment at Vanderbilt University. “I had to cancel some things to be closer to home.”
Her manager confirmed earlier this week that it’s kidney stones and a needed procedure—nothing more.
But concern really hit a fever pitch after Dolly’s sister, Freida, posted an emotional message on Facebook. “I’ve been up all night praying,” she wrote, calling on fans to pray with her for Dolly’s health. The post went viral, prompting Freida to write a second update clarifying that she didn’t mean to alarm anyone. “She’s been a little under the weather,” Freida wrote, calling her message a “little sister’s request for prayers.”
For Dolly, those prayers matter.
“I can always use the prayers,” she told fans. A woman of deep faith, she also reminded viewers not to fall for online rumors or bizarre AI-generated images—like one doctored photo showing her and Reba McEntire at death’s door. “We both looked like we need to be buried,” Dolly joked.
But the truth? “I’m not ready to die yet,” she said. “God’s not through with me, and I ain’t done working.”
In a world full of noise, Dolly’s voice remains clear and strong. “I love you for caring,” she said to her fans. “And keep praying for me.”
