{"id":608105,"date":"2026-08-29T08:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T08:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/608105\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T08:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T08:18:15","slug":"dolly-partons-sister-reveals-singer-offered-to-test-experimental-cancer-drugs-before-she-died-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/608105\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton\u2019s sister reveals singer offered to test experimental cancer drugs before she died \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dolly Parton<\/a>\u2019s younger sister Stella Parton has shared a moving tribute to the late country music singer<\/a> on Thursday, revealing Dolly offered to receive experimental cancer drugs \u201cin the hope of helping others in the future\u201d \u2013 an act of kindness and generosity that extended until the end of her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I\u2019ve ever known,\u201d Stella wrote in a tribute shared on Facebook on Thursday. \u201cWhat the world saw is exactly who she was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stella said her sister, who died aged 80 on Tuesday shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, volunteered to undergo experimental medical treatments to help future cancer patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe 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,\u201d Stella wrote. \u201cMy sister was always thinking of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stella, one of 11 of Parton\u2019s siblings and also a country music singer-songwriter, added that if fans wanted to honour the country music star\u2019s legacy, they should \u201cshow more kindness, lift others up and give more of your time and resources as she continued to do to the very end\u201d.<\/p>\n

Parton was taken to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville following kidney and autoimmune issues and died surrounded by family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anyone gets to heaven I\u2019m sure she made it right on time,\u201d Stella wrote. \u201cI know she\u2019s showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stella also shared that the sisters had a coffee date over the phone every Tuesday morning \u201cbefore the sun came up\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but her love, respect and goodness will remain,\u201d she wrote. \u201cShe left the world a better place by being in it so let\u2019s follow her example.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FlowersFlowers and letters are placed at the Dolly Parton mural by artist Megan Lingerfelt in Strong Alley on August 26, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photograph: Jason Kempin\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Dolly Parton was a rare example of a celebrity who used their fame to lift others upOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Guardian in 2016, Parton said she had a happy childhood despite being raised with so many siblings in a one-room cabin in Tennessee. \u201cIt was crowded. With that many brothers and sisters there was plenty of teasing and fighting but we were all in it together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Figures across music, film, politics and beyond have paid tribute to Parton in the days since she died, with fans flocking to her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee and American flags lowered to half-mast nationwide, including at the White House. -Guardian<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Praise for Dolly Parton\u2019s work bringing love of books to children in IrelandOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton\u2019s younger sister Stella Parton has shared a moving tribute to the late country music singer on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[45133,42,43,40,38,41,39,115],"class_list":["post-608105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-dolly-parton","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}