Fans continue to mourn the loss of Dolly Parton, who passed away last month following a battle with cancer. Dolly’s younger sister, Stella Parton, has now revealed why their family did not publicly disclose her cancer before.
Fans continue to mourn the loss of Dolly Parton, who passed away last month following a battle with cancer. Dolly’s younger sister, Stella Parton, has now revealed why their family did not publicly disclose her cancer before.
In a recent interview with CBS Mornings’ Gayle King on Wednesday, Stella shared, “Well, Dolly did not want anybody to tell that because Dolly could not bear negative things, and she would not have wanted her fans worried about it.” Dolly’s sister added, “She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it. Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative.”
Stella Parton reflects on Dolly’s final wishes for family and fans
Stella Parton shared that Dolly “did not want people sad.” However, she said that the late singer would be happy with the outpouring of love and tributes from her fans.
“She’d be really happy and delighted that people have shown her so much love because she knew that would make us feel better as her family,” Stella said. “Bottom line, end of the day, her family and Carl’s family and probably Judy’s family are the people that she would want to say, ‘See, everything I did, they cared. They really loved me.'”
The 77-year-old had penned a heartfelt tribute to Dolly on Facebook shortly after her passing. “My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known,” Stella wrote. “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.”
She added, “Dolly loved the world and everyone in it. I would criticize and complain about it and she would laugh and say; ‘shoot Tedda, we’ve got more important things to do than worry about their silly asses.’ She was right and she proved it everyday.”
Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, following a “brief battle with cancer.” Her death was first announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, via Instagram.