Dolly Parton’s Sister Reveals Their Beautiful Morning Tradition

Dolly Parton‘s family has begun to speak up after the singer’s death on Tuesday (Aug. 25). Sister Stella Parton took to social media to share her feelings and a couple of insights into their relationship.

• Dolly Parton died at age 80 on Aug. 25, 2026.
• She’d admitted to health challenges over the past year but never let on that any were serious.
• A statement from her publicist adds that Parton died peacefully in Nashville after a short cancer battle.

Related: Dolly Parton’s Cause of Death Revealed

Dolly Parton’s Siblings + Family Tree

Parton and her late husband Carl Dean did not have children of their own but they enjoyed time with their large extended family. For Parton, that included 11 brothers and sisters, six still alive at the time of her passing.

She was the fourth child born to Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton, both of whom died over 20 years ago. Several family members were a part of her professional team while others chose to distance themselves from the spotlight.

Stella Parton was the sixth born child, arriving three years after Dolly, in 1949.

Stella Parton’s Statement After Dolly Parton’s Death:

Of the Parton children, Stella Parton is by far the most vocal on social media. She often uses her platforms to defend her sister from critics. She wasn’t afraid to criticize either.

In 2019, at the height of the #MeToo movement, Stella said she was ashamed of her sister for keeping her mouth shut. The barb didn’t stick however, as made clear in a touching tribute post.

“Every Tuesday about this time,” she shares in a letter set at sunrise on Thursday (Aug. 27), “before the sun came up and the world was still asleep, she and I for many years had our coffee together over the phone.”

The two women would gossip and make plans, “as sisters do.”

“My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known,” she writes. “What the world saw is exactly who she was.”

While the letter doesn’t add anything to what’s been revealed about Parton’s death, she does reveal that Dolly once told her that if there was no hope for her, she’d allow doctors to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others.

“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,” Stella writes.

The next two paragraphs thanked fans for their support but the personal tone underscored her message. “My Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but her love, respect and goodness will remain,” she writes.

Parton will be laid to rest in a small, private ceremony on an unknown date.