Dolly Parton’s younger sister has spoken out following the tragic passing of the country music legend on Tuesday.
Parton’s family confirmed the 80-year-old singer died after a brief battle with cancer.
The type of cancer has not been disclosed but, in a tribute shared on Facebook, Stella revealed her sister had been trialling experimental drugs before her death.
“My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known,” Stella, 77, said.
“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.
“My sister was always thinking of others and if you want to honour 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, who is also a country music singer and songwriter, went on to thank everyone for their kind words and support.
“Your love and respect for her is deeply felt by all of us who loved her first and it helps as we grieve her passing through our lives,” she said.
“Dolly loved the world and everyone in it.
“I would criticise 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.
“She left the world a better place by being in it so let’s follow her example.”
Parton had reportedly been dealing with kidney and autoimmune health issues before her death.
She died on Tuesday, local time, after a remarkable rise from humble blue-collar beginnings to become one of America’s most beloved musicians and philanthropists.
Her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, confirmed the news in an emotional video shared to social media, revealing Parton had asked him years earlier to make the announcement when the time came.
Julia Roberts remembers iconic Dolly Parton story
Tributes have continued to flood in for Parton, as celebrities share their personal memories of the iconic singer.
Hollywood actress Julia Roberts, who starred alongside Parton in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, shared the advice the singer gave her on set.
At the time Roberts, 58, was only two years into her acting career.
The cast appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1989 to promote the movie, with clips from the old segment now circulating on TikTok.
Roberts said that Parton encouraged her not to complain on the movie’s set one day while the cast battled the heat in Louisiana during filming.
“Everyone had ice on their wrist and was doing the whole thing, everyone was like, ‘It’s hot, can I get some water?’,” Roberts recalled to talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
“And I finally just had to say, ‘Dolly, I mean, you’ve got a wig and the wool. Come on, it’s hot, sweat a little’, you know?
“Just say ‘I’m hot,’ you know. ‘This is a drag!’
“And she said — I remember we were sitting on the porch, do you remember this?
“And she said to me, ‘When I was a little girl, I wanted to be famous and I wanted to be rich, and now I’m both those things. I’m not going to complain about it’.”
Parton and Roberts co-starred in the comedy-drama, alongside Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Tom Skerritt and Sam Shepard.
Several actors from the movie shared memories of Parton after news of her death broke.
“Dolly was a magical and joyous human. I hold knowing her as a treasure in my life. The sun has dimmed today,” Roberts shared in a statement.
“God sent her to us, and she has returned home,” MacLaine said.
“If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one, Dolly Parton,” Field wrote on Instagram alongside a throwback cast photo.
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