Dolly Parton is sharing a video to tell fans not to worry so much amid growing concerns about her health.
Parton, 79, addressed fans directly in the video, which was shot in a film studio, to tell them she’s “OK” and she’s got “nothing major” wrong with her health.
“Well, today’s Oct. 8 and obviously I’m here doing some commercials for the Grand Ol’ Opry, which is kind of why I’m dressed like an old country and western girl,” said Parton, who wears black pants and red top with fringe in the clip.
“But before I got started, I wanted to say, I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am,” she continued before asking, “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 and I appreciate your prayers,” she went on, “because I’m a person of faith.”
“But I want you to know that I’m OK,” she said, but added that she did “have some problems,” because she “didn’t take care” of herself as she should have because her late husband Carl Dean was sick “for a long time.” Dean died in March at the age of 82.
“I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of,” she explained.
Parton said there was “nothing major” wrong with her health but that she needed to cancel upcoming performances to be closer to her Nashville home and to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she is receiving “a few treatments here and there.”
Dolly Parton is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, businesswoman and philanthropist. Here’s what you need to know.
“But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying,” said Parton.
“There’s just a lot of rumors flying around,” she added. “But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK.”
She concluded, “I’m not ready to die yet and 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.”
Parton’s personal message comes a day after her younger sister Frieda Parton asked fans to pray for the “Jolene” singer, who announced in September that she would be postponing her upcoming performances in Las Vegas due to “health challenges.”
Frieda Parton followed up hours later to clarify her comments, saying she “didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.”
“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer,” she explained. “It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.”
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