Articles by Madison E. Goldberg

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Dolly Parton's Sister Freida Clears the Air on Country Star's Illness: 'I Didn’t Mean to Scare Anyone'

Dolly Parton's sister Freida Parton is clearing the air after she said she was "up all night praying" for the country icon's recovery. "I want to clear something up," Freida, 68, wrote in a social media post on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 7. "I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly." Freida went on to clarify that Dolly has "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." She then thanked Dolly's fans for "lifting her up." adding that their love "truly makes a difference." Earlier on Tuesday, Freida shared a social media post that read, "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 lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me." Freida ended her message with a heart emoji, adding, "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!" Dolly, 79, postponed her Las Vegas residency due to an unspecified illness last week. The Nashville icon announced she would be pushing back the performances by nearly a year to focus on her health. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. “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. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000 check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!" Dolly wrote in an Instagram post. "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, and the show that you deserve to see," she continued. "You see good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you." The "Jolene" singer ended the note, writing, "And 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." Dolly was originally scheduled to perform in Las Vegas for a limited engagement at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace beginning in December.