> At a Glance
> – Freida Parton asked fans to pray for sister Dolly last October
> – Dolly, 79, quickly posted “ain’t dead yet” video to calm fans
> – Freida says no family fallout: “Mama told us to pray”
> – Why it matters: Shows how fast health rumors spread-and how family faith still guides the Partons
A Facebook prayer request from Freida Parton briefly sent fans into a panic over Dolly Parton‘s health last fall. In her first interview since the flap, Freida tells News Channel 11 the country icon never lost her cool-and neither did the rest of the family.
The Post That Started It All
After Dolly postponed her Las Vegas residency in September 2025, Freida wrote that she’d been “up all night praying” and asked followers to join her because the singer “hasn’t been feeling her best lately.”
Within hours the post exploded. Freida followed up, insisting she “didn’t mean to scare anyone,” but the rumor mill kept churning.
Dolly Parton responded the next day on Instagram:
> “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here! Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease… I ain’t ready to die yet.”
Why Freida Spoke Up
Freida, 68, says the request was simply habit:
> “I just said what I said because Mama told us to pray. And so I prayed, and I wanted people to pray for her because she wasn’t feeling good.”
She adds that Dolly chalked the stir up to her sister’s limited internet savvy:
> “She probably thought, ‘Well, she didn’t know about the internet then. She had no idea.'”
- No family scolding followed
- Some fans, however, lashed out online
- Freida stands by the power-of-prayer approach
Dolly’s Real Health Struggles
The singer later admitted that grief after husband Carl Dean‘s March 2025 death had led her to neglect her own health, forcing the residency delay.
A November source tells News Of Los Angeles Dolly is “getting better every day,” and the star herself told the outlet:
> “People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.’ Well, so what?… I feel like I’m just getting started.”
Key Takeaways
- Freida’s prayer post wasn’t meant as a health alarm
- Dolly reassured fans with trademark humor
- Family faith, not friction, drove the public plea
- The icon plans to stay busy heading into her 80th birthday on Jan. 19
The brief scare shows how quickly concern for the beloved star can spiral-and how the Parton clan leans on prayer, not publicity, when trouble hits.
