Back in October, we reported that Freida Parton, the younger sister of Dolly Parton, was begging fans to pray for the country music legend as she battles unspecified “health challenges.” This led fans to panic, as they were terrified that Dolly might be near death.
Freida then spoke out to apologize for asking for prayers, saying that she “didn’t mean to scare anyone.” She added that Dolly is just “a little under the weather.” Dolly herself also surfaced in a video to assure her fans that she’s doing just fine and is “not ready to die.”
Now, Freida has reemerged to finally reveal the real reason why she begged fans to pray.
Freida Considers ‘All Fans To Be Family’
Freida, 68, told WJHL that she considers “all fans to be family.”
“The things that we lived through and the things that meant everything to me, and if there’s not a song that doesn’t have a memory or doesn’t have a reason to write, I’m not writing it,” Freida explained. “But I like to take the fans back and hope it helps them in their life of raising their children and all that.”
Freida went on to recall how Dolly, 79, became so important to her childhood and her career.
“Dolly’s always been a guardian angel to me,” Freida gushed. “And Mama got sick when we were 13 in Floyd, and we had to go live with Dolly and Carl. And in Brentwood, they hadn’t even built the big house yet. They used to let us go out there and pick up wood and stuff, for extra money.”
Freida’s Explains Prayer Controversy
Freida went on to address the controversy over her call for prayers in October. She wants fans to know that she didn’t want to worry anyone. Instead, when she learned that Dolly was under the weather, Freida was simply inspired by what her mother taught her as a child.
“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,” Freida stated. “It’s like, hey, I didn’t mean it to happen. I just asked, you know, for people to pray for. Because that’s the way I was raised, you know, pray.”
According to Freida, Dolly was not upset with her about the prayer request. Dolly just felt the need to let her fans know that she was alright by posting a video in which she stressed that “I ain’t dead yet!”
“She probably thought, ‘Well, she didn’t know about the internet then. She had no idea,'” Freida concluded. “So I didn’t get in trouble with her or none of the family. But some people were very upset with me because I had said that.”
Watch Freida talk more about this here.
Parton Family Feud
Freida, 68, and Dolly, 79, are two of twelve siblings in the Parton family, seven of whom are still alive. It seems that some of the surviving siblings are not happy with Freida over the comments she made about Dolly’s health. Back in October, one source close to the Parton family said that “the knives are clearly out.”
“Freida has been a headache for years,” the family source explained. “She’s colorful, to say the least. But, in this case, her timing could not have been worse. The stakes are so high with Dolly’s health on the line, that this is the last thing she needs.”
“I, like everyone else, just hope that it doesn’t complicate matters for Dolly because her health is what’s important right now,” the insider concluded. “Freida is going to have a hard time getting back inside the family’s circle of trust.”
Freida’s Call For Prayers
This all started on October 7, when Freida took to Facebook to beg fans to pray for Dolly. This came after Dolly postponed her Las Vegas residency by nearly a year amidst mysterious health issues.
“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly,” Freida wrote. “Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.”
“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,” Freida added. “Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”
Freida Backtracks
This was enough to send fans into panic mode, as they feared that Dolly could be near death. Freida later returned to Facebook to clarify what she meant by this.
“I want to clear something up,” Freida, 68, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday evening. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.”
“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer,” Freida continued. “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.”
The damage, however, was already done, and many fans didn’t buy that Dolly was alright until she posted her sassy “I ain’t dead yet” video.
Being related to a superstar like Dolly can’t be easy, as even something as simple as a prayer request can quickly be misconstrued and overdramatized. It seems that Freida’s heart really was in the right place here. We’re glad that Dolly appears to know that, and we hope that the rest of the Partons let Freida off the hook too!