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Miley Cyrus Offers Positive Update on Godmother Dolly Parton Amid Health Issues
Turns out Dolly Parton isn’t fresh out of forgiveness.
The Grammy winner had no hard feelings after her sister Freida Parton asked fans to send her prayers, leading to speculation about her health.
“She probably thought, ‘Well, she didn’t know about the internet then. She had no idea,’ Freida told News Channel 11 in Tennessee in an interview published Jan. 3. “So I didn’t get in trouble with her or none of the family. But some people were very upset with me because I had said that.”
Indeed, while Freida—who is one of Dolly’s 11 siblings—raised concern among fans, she explained that asking for prayers has always been their family’s standard in any situation.
“I just said what I said because Mama told us to pray,” she shared. “And, so I prayed, and I wanted people to pray for her because she wasn’t feeling good.”
“It’s like, hey, I didn’t mean it to happen,” she continued. “I just asked for people to pray because that’s the way I was raised, you know, pray.”
In October, Freida asked fans to pray for Dolly, after the “9 to 5” singer canceled a run of shows in Las Vegas.
"Many of you know she hasn't been feeling her best lately,” Freida wrote in an Oct. 7 Facebook post in part. “I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been led to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me."
The message sparked concerns that Dolly could be severely ill, leading the country star to appear in a video the next day and declare, “I’m not dying.”
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“I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease,” she continued in the video shared on Instagram Oct. 8. “Those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate—and I appreciate your prayers because I am a person of faith—I can always use the prayers for anything and everything."
Dolly explained that after the death of her husband Carl Dean, she finally got around to her own doctor’s appointments and had to undergo treatments, though they were “nothing major.”
“I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there,” the 79-year-old said. “But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”
In all, Dolly concluded her message by telling the public that she wasn’t ready to leave the earth or retire from performing.
“I don’t think God is through with me,” she shared, “and I ain’t done working. So I love you for caring and keep praying for me.”
To look back at Dolly’s fabulous career, keep reading…
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