- In Sept. 2025, Dolly Parton announced that she would be postponing her Las Vegas residency due to “health challenges” she had been facing.
- Dolly’s sister, Freida Parton, sent fans into a spiral when she posted a cryptic Facebook post on Oct. 7 that asked them to “pray” for the beloved country singer.
- Dolly has since given fans an update on her health status and reassured them that she “ain’t dead yet.”
In case you feared we’ve lost the pop culture icon that is Dolly Parton, don’t fret. The “Jolene” hitmaker recently confirmed that she’s still kicking after her younger sister, Freida Parton, dropped a cryptic Facebook post asking fans to “pray” for her on October 7.
“I know lately, everyone thinks I’m sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here,” Dolly jokingly said in between commercial takes for the Grand Ole Opry in Tennessee, per an Instagram video posted on October 8.
She reassured her followers that all is well in her world, saying, “I want you to know I’m okay. I’ve got some problems as I mentioned, back when my husband Carl was very sick...when he passed, I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of.” She also shared that she was getting some treatments in Vanderbilt, and that she’s “not dying.”
Dolly then closed her message with, “I ain’t ready to die yet.” Queen behavior, honestly.
Confused as to how we landed at rumors surrounding Dolly’s health (and AI images of Reba McEntire at Dolly’s deathbed)? Same. Let’s break down what’s going on with Dolly Parton’s health and the unexpected social media saga that came from it.
Dolly announced she was postponing her Vegas residency after being diagnosed with kidney stones
Let’s go back to the beginning. On September 17, Dolly revealed that she was diagnosed with kidney stones when she was noticeably absent from a Dollywood event.
“I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection,” Dolly said in a video that played at the event. “And the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better.’”
A few days later on September 27, Dolly revealed that she had to postpone shows for her Las Vegas residency to get “a few procedures” done.
“In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You see good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you,” she added.
Freida Parton posted a cryptic message asking for prayers, but Dolly’s rep stepped in
This is where things get a little tricky. Dolly’s sister, Freida, sent fans into a frenzy with a Facebook post asking for prayers on October 7.
“Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Freida wrote. “I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me. She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”
Soon after, Dolly’s rep, Olly Rowland, confirmed the real reason Dolly postponed her Vegas shows. “It’s just the kidney stones, and the procedure she needs to resolve those,” Olly told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion, weirdly.”
Dolly confirmed she “ain’t dead yet,” and Freida retroactively apologized for “scaring” fans
Dolly—who is alive and well—entered the chat on October 8, reassuring fans that she’s still alive and on the mend amid her procedures.
“There’s just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” she said in the video. “So anyhow, that’s what I wanted to say and I’m not ready to die yet. 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.”
Hours after her initial post on October 7, Freida retroactively apologized for scaring fans, writing, “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.”
She then clarified that the “9 to 5” singer had “been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.”
Whew, that was a close one!
