Dolly Parton’s sister has shed some insight into the singer’s final months, stating that she offered to use experimental drugs to help others with cancer if there was “no hope” for her.
The country music icon, known for timeless hits “9 to 5” and “Jolene”, died, aged 80, after a “brief battle” with an undisclosed form of cancer – and days after the announcement on Tuesday (25 August), Stella Parton shared a touching tribute, telling the singer’s fans: “If anyone gets to heaven, I’m sure she made it right on time.”
“What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so,” Stella wrote in a Facebook post. “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 continued: “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.”
Parton was believed to be the world’s wealthiest country music star, with an estimated net worth of $500m (£367.8m), and was a noted philanthropist. She was known for her efforts to encourage literacy around the world through her Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, and also used her money to fight the HIV/Aids crisis, fund the American Red Cross and develop a Covid vaccine.
She wrote more than 3,000 songs, and a record-breaking 44 of her albums reached the top 10 on the country music charts. She won 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and received an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work at the 2025 Governors Awards.
In 2022, she was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and commented: “I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will.”
Parton’s health concerns first became public in September 2025, when she was forced to postpone her Las Vegas residency.
She made the announcement with a joke about her history of cosmetic surgery, writing: “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”
Parton was then forced to miss several planned public appearances, including one at Dollywood just days before her death.
Tributes poured in for the singer after news broke of her death, with messages from everybody ranging from Paul McCartney and Beyoncé to her goddaughter Miley Cyrus and Fast & Furious actor Vin Diesel, who shared an emotive rendition of Parton’s hit “I Will Always Love You”.
Her sister Stella added in her Facebook post: "Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but her love, respect and goodness will remain. If anyone gets to heaven, I'm sure she made it right on time. I know she's showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister's way.”
