The world’s best country star, Dolly Parton, is counting on something bigger than chart-hits and rhinestones today: prayer. On Tuesday afternoon, Dolly’s younger sister, Freida Parton, took to Facebook placing a heartfelt invite asking fans around the globe to join her to pray for their star sister during a recuperation process for health problems.
“Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Freida wrote. “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 emotional appeal for a friend’s recovery has unleashed a torrent of affections online, demonstrating how deeply beloved the Tennessee warbler still is.
Dolly Hits ‘Pause’ on Vegas Dreams
Earlier this month, Dolly was pressured to reschedule what would have been her first-ever Las Vegas residency in over thirty years. The concerts were eagerly awaited, an opportunity for the 78-year-old icon to bring her sparkle, her humor, and her perennial repertoire to Sin City. However, Dolly, being a wit, cushioned the news with a wink:
“It must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!” she laughed in her statement.
The delayed residency was accompanied by another absence. Dolly skipped the opening of Dollywood’s new ride, a rare no-show for the lady who constructed the theme park into a crown jewel of the South.
The Enigma of Dolly’s Health
Neither Dolly nor Freida have revealed what condition actually ails her. We are all left guessing, but Freida’s message of faith vindicated Dolly’s tougher than sequins and steel declaration.
“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,” Freida shared. “We all love you!”
The confusion has done nothing but fuel public interest, but also sparked a worldwide chorus of support, demonstrating yet again that Dolly’s reach far surpasses music.
Dolly’s Endless Legacy
Even though she’s not been on tour since her “Pure & Simple Tour” of 2016, Dolly did not sit idle even then. Since the last ten years, she’s released books, adapted a Broadway hit, kept humanitarian initiatives like her Imagination Library going, and lent her singing voice to collaborative recordings which preserve her sound for future generations.
It’s a career built by reinvention, and its current installment, despite health reverses, is no exception. And if anything, it entrenches Dolly as a presence bigger than showbiz: a cultural icon of a kind, whose durability is part of the legend.
Global Prayer Circle for Dolly
From hollers of East Tennessee to neon of Las Vegas, it’s a universal message: Dolly Parton is a star, but she’s family, too. And families pray together.
As its Facebook post ripples through the internet, its fans come together, seemingly, in one great hymn of voices singing praises of the woman who once famously said, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” yet who’s always been invaluable to the world.
One thing is certain, Dolly never did sit by itself. And it won’t now.
