Dolly Parton’s sister has urged fans to show more compassion in the wake of the Queen of Country’s death.
Stella Parton, 77, shared an update on how she is coping with the grief via a Friday Instagram post writing that the family has been subjected to “incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers.”
“There is a tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage being posted everyday and it’s been challenging to absorb and/or ignore,” she continued.
“As time passes, those who are in the business of exploiting the loss and tragedies of others on a daily basis will move on to the next stampede of endless misinformation.”
She reminded fans of the “positive influence” her sister had on others, and urged them to “show more compassion and wisdom as we move forward in life.”
open image in gallery“Use my sister’s life as an example for tolerance and respect toward others,” Stella wrote. “It’s not about the most clever comments, fake AI garbage, or snarky tweets.”
“At the end of the day or the end of your life, how will you feel about yourself? It’s not about what other individuals you will never meet think of you.”
Parton’s niece, Lainey Parton, shared a touching tribute to her aunt August 29, confirming the Queen of Country had been laid to rest the day prior at a private family funeral at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words,” Lainey wrote of her “Aunt Granny.”
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open image in gallery“From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough. She never made my dreams feel too big or made me feel like I couldn’t do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.”
Parton was buried next to Carl Dean, her husband of 60 years, who died in March 2025.
Her death had been announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in an Instagram video posted August 25. The musician’s representatives later confirmed she died following a “brief battle with cancer.”
Parton’s niece Jada Star revealed that the family deliberately kept the late country star’s cancer diagnosis private to avoid causing concern for her fans.
Star, who is the daughter of Parton’s younger sister Freida, paid tribute to her aunt at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville after her death by performing “The Orchard,” which is a duet she originally recorded with the late country music legend.
After her sister’s death, Stella also disclosed that the “9 to 5” singer offered to allow her medical team to test experimental cancer drugs during her final days in the hope of helping future patients.
“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 wrote on Facebook.
“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.”