Dolly Parton’s Sister ‘Didn’t Mean to Scare Anyone’ With …
Dolly Parton’s sister, Freida Parton, has issued a clarification after asking “all of the world” to join her in prayer for her Grammy-winning sibling.
As you may have seen, concerningly worded headlines were quick to spread in recent days after Freida’s initial statement, which itself came after the widely celebrated artist announced a postponement of her upcoming Las Vegas dates due to upcoming procedures related to unspecified “health challenges.”
In September, Dolly jokingly likened this to her “100,000-mile checkup,” adding that getting “show-ready” after the procedures will take time.
On Tuesday morning, Oct. 7, Freida took to Facebook to reveal that she’d been “up all night praying” for her sister.
“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!”
Fans, understandably, were quick to enthusiastically follow Freida’s lead, marking a true testament to just how deeply adored she is across generations. But later on Tuesday, Freida clarified that she “didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious” when asking for fans to join her in prayer.
“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 wrote in a follow-up statement shared to Facebook. “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.”
Rockstar, Dolly’s most recent studio album, arrived back in 2023. Last year, the album, Dolly’s 49th solo effort, received a deluxe version. 2024 also saw Dolly making multiple appearances on Beyoncé‘s Grammy-winning Cowboy Carter album. She was also enlisted for Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion.
In March of this year, Carl Dean, Dolly’s longtime husband, died at the age of 82.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Dolly said in a note to fans at the time. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”