Dolly Parton’s sister is asking for prayers for the singer amid “health challenges” that forced the superstar to postpone her upcoming concerts.
“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly,” Freida Parton wrote in an Oct. 7 Facebook post. “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.”
The post concluded, “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! ❤️”
USA TODAY has reached out to Dolly Parton’s rep for comment.
Dolly Parton opened up about needing ‘a few procedures’
On Sept. 28, the singer revealed in a post shared to her social media accounts that “Unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts.”
“As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” she added. “I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you.”
Though her condition will still allow her to “work on all of my projects from here in Nashville,” Parton, 79, said: “I just need a little time to get show ready.”
But she reassured fans that this is only a momentary setback.
“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she wrote. “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.”
Parton’s year marked by mourning, business endeavors
Parton’s husband of almost 60 years, Carl Dean, died March 3 in Nashville.
In 2024, Parton told Knox News, part of The USA TODAY Network, that her rarely seen husband was her quiet support system. “There’s always that safety, that security, that strength,” she said of being with Dean. “He’s a good man, and we’ve had a good life and he’s been a good husband.”
Parton surprised fans on March 14, making her first public appearance since Dean’s death at the opening celebration for the Dollywood theme park’s 40th season.
“I’m doing better than I thought I would,” Parton said in an interview with Knox News. “I’ve been with him 60 years. So, I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done. But I’ll keep him always close.”
Since then, she’s launched a Broadway-ready musical. She performed at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center for the world premiere of “Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony,” not as an icon, but as a songwriter. Meanwhile, plans are still underway for her downtown Nashville hotel.
Will Dolly Parton reschedule her Las Vegas performances?
The dates for Parton’s Las Vegas shows have been pushed back nine months, moving from December to September 2026 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
The dates are as follows:
- Dec. 4 postponed to Sept. 17, 2026
- Dec. 6, 2025 postponed to Sept. 19, 2026
- Dec. 7 postponed to Sept. 20, 2026
- Dec. 10 postponed to Sept. 23, 2026
- Dec. 12 postponed to Sept. 25, 2026
- Dec. 13 postponed to Sept. 26, 2026
Parton’s first extended run in more than 30 years, Dolly: Live in Las Vegas is billed as an event that weaves together “seven decades of classic hits and fan favorites including ‘9 to 5,’ ‘Jolene,’ ‘I Will Always Love You,’ (and) ‘Coat of Many Colors.'”
