Stella Parton says the family is still struggling with the loss of Dolly Parton, but she wants her sister’s life to be remembered for the love, tolerance and respect she showed others.
Ten days after Dolly’s death, Stella addressed the loss in an Instagram post on Friday, September 4, during her “coffee hour”, thanking people who have supported the family.
“We will be okay in time but each of us will grieve in our personal way,” she wrote. “Every human being experiences pain and loss in life and my family is no different.”
Stella also spoke about the pressure the family has faced since Dolly’s death, especially because they live their lives publicly.
She said the family has had to deal with what she described as “incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers”, as well as the spread of AI-generated content and misinformation.
“There is a tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage being posted everyday and it’s been challenging to absorb and/or ignore,” she wrote.
Stella said Dolly would have been “surprised and delighted” by the amount of love shown to her and the family since her death.
She also recalled Dolly’s decision to stay away from political arguments despite having a large public following. According to Stella, her sister understood how easily such discussions could become negative and chose instead to focus on positive energy.
“She knew as well as anyone what a negative vortex that could turn into, which is nothing but a huge waste of positive energy,” Stella said.
Dolly died at the age of 80 on August 25. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death in an Instagram video that day, while representatives later confirmed that she had died after a “brief battle with cancer.”
Stella described Dolly as a positive influence whose music had touched many people and said her sister had a “heart so big and tender.”
She called on people to take a lesson from Dolly’s life and treat others with more compassion and respect.
“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.”
