As Health Rumors Swirl, Dolly Parton’s Bold Response Leaves No Room for Misunderstanding. ML
Dolly Parton Addresses Health Concerns: “I’m Not Ready to Die Yet”
When it comes to rumors, Dolly Parton knows how to set the record straight—with honesty and humor. The country music legend and pop culture icon shared a personal update on Wednesday, taking to Instagram and X to address growing concern over her health.
“Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here,” the 79-year-old said with a smile in a video filmed between shoots for the Grand Ole Opry. “I want you to know that I’m OK.”
Fans had grown increasingly worried after Parton recently pulled out of several appearances, including a September event at her Dollywood theme park due to kidney stones. Soon after, she postponed six Las Vegas shows scheduled for December, without initially offering a clear explanation.
In her video, Dolly opened up about her recent health struggles, revealing that the loss of her husband, Carl Dean—who passed away in March at age 82—had deeply affected her well-being.
“When he passed, I didn’t take care of myself,” she admitted. “I let a lot of things go.” That prompted doctors to urge her to finally address some health issues. “We need to take care of this, we need to take care of that,” she quoted them saying.
Still, she reassured fans that there’s “nothing major” going on. “I had to cancel some things to be closer to home,” she added, noting she’s receiving treatments at Vanderbilt University.
While she didn’t elaborate on those treatments, her manager, Olly Rowland, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier that it’s simply a matter of addressing kidney stones with a standard procedure.
The concern around Dolly’s health peaked when her younger sister, Freida Parton, wrote a heartfelt Facebook post asking for prayers. The post quickly went viral, prompting Freida to clarify, “I didn’t mean to scare anyone.” She added that Dolly had simply been “a little under the weather.”
Dolly, who has always been open about her faith, welcomed the support. “I can always use the prayers,” she told fans. She also cautioned against believing “rumors” and AI-generated photos—joking about one fake image showing her and Reba McEntire looking like they were “ready to be buried.”
But make no mistake—Dolly’s not going anywhere just yet. “I’m not ready to die,” she said. “God’s not through with me, and I ain’t done working.”
She ended with a heartfelt message: “I love you for caring, and keep praying for me.”
