Dolly Parton’s sister details icon’s final days, dying wish to help others
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Dolly Parton’s sister is remembering the late singer in a moving tribute, offering a glimpse into the country icon’s final days and her dying wish to help others.
In a tribute shared on social media, Stella Parton broke her silence after her sister died at the age of 80 on Tuesday.
“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,” said Stella Parton, who is also a country singer.
Stella Parton said her older sister was always thinking of others. After Dolly Parton was diagnosed with cancer, she made a selfless offer to her doctors.
“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,” Stella Parton wrote. “My sister was always thinking of others and if you want to honor her legacy, show more kindness, lift others up and give more of your time and resources as she continued to do to the very end.”
Dolly Parton died following a brief battle with cancer. Neither her family nor her team has publicly specified the exact type.
“She left the world a better place by being in it, so let’s follow her example. Love and respect to all of you,” Stella Parton concluded.
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Like her sister, Stella Parton is a country singer, songwriter and actress. She began performing as a child and built her own recording career, releasing dozens of albums and recording several country singles. Her best-known hit is “I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight,” a Top 10 country song from 1975.
Dolly Parton was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics. She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” but was equally known for her kindness and philanthropic work.
Her career was forever influenced by her upbringing as one of 12 children born into what she called a “dirt poor” Tennessee family. She started her education nonprofit, Imagination Library, to send free books to children in Tennessee because her father, who quit school to work on the farm, struggled to learn to read.