Country singer, Dolly Parton, is asking fans to continue praying for her but insists she’s “not ready to die yet.”
The songwriter, who has a strong Christian faith, was responding after her sister, Freida Parton, sparked concern earlier this week by asking people to pray for the star’s recovery.
Reassuring fans in a video on social media, the 79-year-old star said:
“I know lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here. Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease — those of you who seem to be really concerned, which I appreciate, and I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything. But I want you to know that I’m okay. I’ve got some problems, as I mentioned back when my husband Carl was very sick.”
Dolly’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March at the age of 82. She said that after he died she “didn’t take care of myself, so I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of.”
She added: “So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said, ‘We need to take care of this, we need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m having a few treatments here and there. But I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer and actress recently postponed a series of shows in Las Vegas to deal with unspecified health issues. Her sister caused concern among fans after saying she had been “up all night praying” for the singer. She later clarified that she “didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious.”
In the video, Dolly added: “I figured if you heard it from me, you would know that I was okay. I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working. I love you for caring, and keep praying for me.”
