Country music icon Dolly Parton addressed mounting speculation about her health on Wednesday, Oct. 8, following a series of social media posts by her sisters that left fans alarmed and seeking answers.
The 79-year-old “9 to 5” and “Jolene” singer appeared in a video posted to Instagram, telling her followers she was “doing fine” and continuing to work despite dealing with recent health issues.
The video came amid growing online chatter after her younger sister Freida Parton asked for prayers on Facebook earlier in the week.
“I know lately, everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am,” Parton said in the video, smiling at the camera. “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here!”
Her message was aimed at putting rumors to rest after fans began to worry about her condition.
“I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seemed to be real concerned, which I appreciate and I appreciate your prayers ’cause I’m a person of faith,” she said.
“I can always use the prayers for anything and everything. But I want you to know that I’m okay.”
Parton concluded her video with humor, captioning the clip: “I ain’t dead yet!”
The post quickly went viral, drawing thousands of comments from fans and fellow country stars expressing relief that the Grammy-winning singer was in good spirits.
Her comments came just hours after her sister Stella Parton, 76, posted a fiery message on X, responding to what she described as “attacks” from fans demanding updates on Dolly’s health.
“To those with genuine concern for my big sister Dolly’s well being, she posted a video last week to share with her fans that she has had kidney stones and is getting treatment,” Stella wrote.
“My sister Freida is always concerned when one of her siblings isn’t feeling well so she asked for prayers on Dolly’s behalf.”
Stella continued, emphasizing the importance of family privacy.
“It’s my job as a sister to both of them to love and respect their privacy as I expect them to do for me,” she wrote.
Her post followed Freida Parton’s earlier Facebook message on Tuesday, which asked followers to “pray for Dolly.”
That post set off a wave of concern and speculation online.
Freida later clarified that she “didn’t mean to scare anyone” and “didn’t mean to make it sound so serious,” but the initial statement had already gone viral.
In her X post, Stella expressed frustration at being targeted by fans.
“To those of you who make it your job to attack me for not being your personal information center, you need to go check their pages!” she said.
She went on to note that while many fans were “genuinely concerned,” others had crossed a line.
“Some of you are way out of line with disregard for my feelings concerning their wellbeing,” Stella wrote.
Stella ended her post by defending her sister’s right to share health updates on her own terms.
“My big sister will share with her fans when she so chooses. In the meantime, don’t come at me with questions or insults,” she wrote.
Shortly afterward, Dolly herself took to Instagram to clarify the situation directly.
She addressed the rumors and thanked her supporters for their continued prayers and messages.
“I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease,” she said.
“I appreciate your concern and I love you all.”
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The recent wave of concern began on September 28, when Parton announced that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency dates due to what she described as “health challenges.”
At the time, the singer wrote that her doctors had told her she needed to “have a few procedures” and advised her to take a temporary break.
“Don’t worry about me quittin’,” she said in the announcement.
“God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.”
“But I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you,” she continued.
