Dolly Parton: 'I Ain't Dead Yet!'

Dolly Parton has a message for fans concerned about her health: "I ain't dead yet!" In a video posted on Instagram Wednesday, the 79-year-old singer said she appreciated the concern and prayers, but there is nothing to be worried about. She said she was at the Grand Ole Opry filming commercials, and "lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am," People reports. "Do I look sick to you?" she asked. "I'm working hard here!" She said she "wanted to put everybody's mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate."

Parton, who recently postponed her Las Vegas shows, explained that she "let a lot of things go" during her husband Carl's long illness and after his death earlier this year. "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." She said it was "nothing major," but she had to cancel a few things to be closer to home and Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she is having "a few treatments."

• Rolling Stone reports that Parton joked about an AI image of Reba McEntire at her deathbed that appeared on social media: "Oh, lordy. I mean, they had Reba at my deathbed and we both look like we need to be buried. I thought, oh my lord, If I was really dying, I don't think Reba would be the one at my deathbed. She might come visit me earlier."

• "There's just a lot of rumors flying around, but I figured if you heard it from me, you'd know that I was okay," Parton said. "So anyhow, that's what I wanted to say and I'm not ready to die yet. I don't think God is through with me and I ain't done working. So I love you for caring, and keep praying for me."
• Freida Parton, one of Dolly's 11 siblings, on Tuesday asked fans to be "prayer warriors" because the star "hasn't been feeling her best lately." In a follow-up post on Facebook, she said she "didn't mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly," adding that it "was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister."