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Country music legend Dolly Parton has responded to growing speculation about her health after her sister, Freida Parton, asked fans to pray for her well-being.
Freida had alarmed fans earlier in the week when she shared on Facebook that she had been “up all night praying” for her sister, who recently cancelled her winter shows at Caesars Palace.
However, Dolly, 79, has now reassured fans that while she is taking time off, the situation is not as serious as some feared. The Jolene singer is currently recovering from severe kidney stones and has been advised by doctors to rest.
Her manager, Olly Rowland, downplayed the concerns, saying:
“It’s just the kidney stones, and the procedure she needs to resolve those. It looks like her sister posted, and it got quite a bit blown out of proportion, weirdly.”
Freida, one of Dolly’s five sisters among her 11 siblings, later returned to Facebook to clarify her earlier post, saying she didn’t intend to cause panic.
“I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious,” she wrote. “She’s 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. Thank you all for lifting her up. Your love truly makes a difference.”
The update comes months after Dolly revealed she was listening to divine guidance to “slow down” following the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who passed away in March at age 82.
Announcing the postponement of what would have been her first Las Vegas residency in over 30 years, Dolly shared on Instagram on September 29:
“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures.
“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up — although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!
“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. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.
“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because 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.”
