Dolly Parton's furious response after sister asks for prayers

Country music icon Dolly Parton is not in dire medical straights after concerns were raised when her sister asked for fans to pray for her welfare.

Younger sister Freida sent fans into a tailspin by declaring that she was "up all night praying" for Dolly, who just cancelled her winter Caesars' Palace shows.

However, has now Dolly fired back at concerns with an update on why she is currently taking time off work.

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The 79-year-old icon has been battling severe kidney stones and needs time to recover.

Her English manager Olly Rowland confirmed that the worries were overblown, adding: “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, triggered worries after her Facebook post where she stated: “Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been led to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.”

After Rowland's comments, Freida went back on Facebook to diffuse the online outburst of love.

“I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious,” Freida added “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.”

It comes after Dolly said God was 'telling her to slow down' after her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died aged 82 in March this year.

Announcing the postponement of what would have been her first Vegas residency in more than 30 years, Jolene singer Dolly wrote 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.”

In August this year, Dolly was named a Guinness World Records icon for holding 11 record-breaking titles.

Her record titles include most consecutive decades with top 10 album entries on the Billboard country chart, most studio albums released by a female country singer, and most Grammy nominations for a female country artist.

She was also the first country singer to be nominated for the Egot – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony – aka the “Grand Slam of showbusiness”.

Dolly, who is from Tennessee, released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly in 1967 and had a run of hits in the 1970s.

By the 1980s she was a huge star and made her movie debut in screwball comedy 9 To 5.

Her most recent album was Rockstar, released in 2023, and she recently featured in a version of Sabrina Carpenter’s Please Please Please.

She is also the co-owner of the Dollywood Company, which operates Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.