Country music legend Dolly Parton has issued a furious response via her team after her younger sister Freida begged fans to pray for her. Freida sent supporters into a frenzy by announcing that she was "up all night praying" for Dolly, who recently called off her winter Caesars' Palace performances.
But now Dolly has now responded to the concerns with an explanation regarding her absence from work. The 79-year-old legend has been struggling with severe kidney stones and requires time to recuperate. Her British manager Olly Rowland confirmed that the anxieties were excessive, stating: "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 amongst her 11 siblings, sparked concerns following her Facebook message where she declared: "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."
Following Rowland's remarks, Freida returned to Facebook to calm the online surge of affection. "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 revealed God was 'telling her to slow down' following her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, passing away aged 82 in March this year.
Revealing the postponement of what would have been her first Vegas residency in more than 30 years, the Jolene singer penned 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."
