Dolly Parton‘s sister Stella Parton has spoken out following the legendary musician’s death, sharing an emotional statement that highlights how Dolly was a beacon of generosity until the very end.
“My big sister Dolly got her wings this past Tuesday,” Stella began in a Thursday (Aug. 27) post on Instagram. “If anyone gets to heaven I’m sure she made it right on time. I know she’s showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister’s way.”
Stella — who is one of Dolly’s 11 siblings — went on to share a ritual that she and her older sister had of waking up early and drinking coffee while on the phone with each other every Tuesday. “Being little farm girls we’ve continued to be early risers,” she noted.
“My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known,” Stella continued. “What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future.”
The younger Parton also thanked fans “for the outpouring of love and respect” they’ve shown her family since Dolly’s passing. She encouraged people interested in honoring her legacy to “show more kindness, lift others up and give more of your time and resources, as she continued to do to the very end.”
“My Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same, but her love, respect and goodness will remain,” Stella added. “She left the world a better place by being in it, so let’s follow her example.”
Dolly died at the age of 80 on Tuesday (Aug. 25) after a brief cancer battle, less than a year and a half after the death of her husband of nearly six decades, Carl Dean. The news was shared in a video statement delivered by Bryan Seaver, Dolly’s nephew and head of security for 20 years.
“Sadness lies with us, not Dolly,” he said in the announcement. “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who had watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens. She never saw a door she couldn’t open and the doors she opened made and changed history.”
Since then, countless stars have spoken out to mourn the Queen of Country, with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Mick Jagger and dozens more all releasing statements paying tribute. Miley Cyrus also honored her godmother in a post reading: “What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel [the loss], write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have.”
Dolly and Stella were, respectively, the fourth- and sixth-oldest of the Parton siblings, a clan also comprised of Willadeene, David, Coy, Bobby, Cassie, Randy, Larry, Floyd and twin sisters Freida and Rachel. Larry died in 1955 shortly after birth, while Floyd passed away in 2018. Randy died in 2021 and David in 2024, and Coy died this past July.
The family was raised in a small, one-bedroom cabin in the Smoky Mountains, a heritage that Dolly was deeply proud of. She spent her life giving back to the region in which she was raised, fueling the economy with the opening of her Dollywood amusement park and choosing Sevier County, Tenn., as the starting point for her now-global Imagination Library program.
“As the Scripture says, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” Parton told Billboard in her 2020 cover story. “If I can be an inspiration, then I want to be that. That makes me feel good.”
Read Stella’s full statement below.
