Country singer Dolly Parton has said she believes the COVID-19 virus is a “lesson from God” that will make everyone “a better person,” in an encouraging video on social media.
The singer, who is currently staying at home amid the global pandemic, shared an Instagram video on March 27, encouraging people to “keep the faith” during this time.
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Standing in front of a small flight of stairs, Parton sang, “Well hello! It’s Dolly. Climbing the stairway to heaven because this virus has scared the H-E-L-L out of us,” before breaking into laughter.
“I’m not making light out of the situation. Well, maybe I am because it’s the light, I believe, that’s going to dissolve the situation. I think God is in this, I really do,” she said. “I think he’s trying to hold us up to the light so we can see ourselves and see each other through the eyes of love, and I hope we learn that lesson. I think that when this passes we’re all gonna be better people.”
Parton added that she’s staying positive about the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far claimed the lives of 30,880 people worldwide, and encouraged her followers to do the same.
“So I know that I have a positive attitude about it, as negative as it seems to be right now. So just keep the faith, don’t be too scared, it’s going to be alright. God loves you,” the singer said.
Parton’s video message comes one week after she posted a heartfelt tribute to her close friend and fellow country star, Kenny Rogers, who died at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, on March 21 from natural causes.
A statement posted by his representatives said the family is planning a private service “out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency,” and that a public memorial will be held at a later date.
Parton said she had been checking the news for updates on coronavirus when she heard about Rogers’s death. Holding up a framed photo of herself and Rogers, she told fans “I loved Kenny with all my heart,” and “a big ol’ chunk of it has gone with him today.”
–wire services