EXCLUSIVE: Dolly Parton's Health Sparks Explosive Family Feud – Country Icon's Sister Freida Ripped for Causing Panic Over Dramatic 'Prayers' Message
Dolly Parton's health concerns reportedly triggered a family feud after sister Freida's alarming message.
Nov. 10 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Ailing Dolly Parton is caught in the crossfire of a blistering family battle caused by the country icon's sister, Freida Parton, issuing a dramatic call for prayers for the 79-year-old star, sparking fears that the conflict could send the widowed singer spiraling, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Freida, 68, asked on social media for the public to pray with her for Parton, who "hasn't been feeling her best" after the singer postponed her Las Vegas residency for nearly a year and canceled an appearance at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee because of an infection caused by a kidney stone.
Alarming Post About Dolly Causes Fans To Panic
Danielle Parton defended her aunt by saying Dolly Parton would have shared health details herself.
But the next day, Freida addressed Dolly's shaken fans by saying she "didn't mean to scare anyone" and backtracked to blather that her sissy was just "a little under the weather."
Hours after Freida's apologetic post, Parton's tough-as-nails niece Danielle Parton – an Air National Guard veteran, who oversees a legal moonshine business when she isn't piloting planes for American Airlines – appeared to blast her aunt on social media.
Danielle, whose father is Dolly's brother Bobby, asserted that nothing had changed with her famous aunt's health since the performer addressed fans directly and scathingly wrote if Parton "had wanted to share more, give details, ask for prayers, whatever, she would have."
After that, Dolly put out a video to dispel fears, share that she was working on commercials for the Grand Ole Opry and incredulously ask: "Do I look sick to you?"
Causing More 'Stress' Amid Health Issues
Dolly said she delayed medical care while tending to her late husband, Carl Dean.
Dolly also explained she'd been putting off care for herself during the final days of her sickly husband, Carl Dean, who died in March at age 82.
"I let a lot of things go," she confessed. "So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said, we need to take care of this."
Danielle noted the "hysteria" over Dolly is causing "undue stress for her" – even if the cause was "good-intentioned."
A family insider said tensions erupted after Freida Parton's dramatic plea for prayers.
A family insider exclusively told RadarOnline.com, "The knives are clearly out."
Sources said the tight-knit clan is furious over the panic caused by Freida's plea.
One fan observed: "When it comes to celebrities, families saying they 'haven't been feeling their best' often feels like a euphemism for 'is on their deathbed.'"
Broken Family Trust
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Sources claimed Freida's timing over Dolly's health has deepened long-standing family rifts.
Sources noted this isn't the first time Freida has ruffled her kin's feathers.
"Freida has been a headache for years," an insider doted. "But in this case, her timing could not have been worse. The stakes are so high with Dolly's health on the line. This is the last thing she needs.
"Freida is going to have a hard time getting back inside the family's circle of trust."
