Dolly Parton’s sister Stella is asking the public to show more compassion as the family continues grieving, calling out the wave of AI-generated content and insensitive online commentary that has followed Dolly’s death.
Stella, 77, shared a lengthy two-slide statement on Instagram Friday, September 4, marking ten days since Dolly died on August 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
Stella opened her message by thanking fans who had offered genuine support during the family’s mourning period, writing, “First let me say, thank you to the ones of you who have shown ‘genuine’ support and love during this time of our family bereavement. We will be okay in time but each of us will grieve in our own personal way.”
She went on to describe the added burden of grieving so publicly.
“Sadly, because of the way our lives have been lived in front of the public, we have no choice but to be subjected to incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers.”
Stella specifically called out fabricated content circulating online since her sister’s passing, “There is a tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage being posted everyday and it’s been challenging to absorb and or ignore,” adding that the people behind that content would eventually move on “to the next stampede of endless misinformation” while her family continued dealing with the fallout.
Despite the criticism, Stella noted that not all of the public response has been negative, saying Dolly herself would have been “surprised and delighted” by the outpouring of love shown to the family since her death.
She also reflected on why her sister so consistently avoided weighing in on divisive topics throughout her career, “She loved her fans and the public in general. That is the reason she chose not to express her opinions on a lot of things like politics, religion and individuals in the public eye. 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 closed her message with a broader call for kindness going forward, “Finally, I ask that you show more compassion and wisdom as we move forward in life. Use my sister’s life as an example for tolerance and respect toward others. It’s not about the most clever comments, fake AI garbage or snarky tweets. At the end of the day or the end of a life, how will you feel about yourself? It’s not about what other individuals you will never meet think of you!”
This wasn’t the first time Stella, herself a singer-songwriter, has spoken publicly since Dolly’s death.
Two days after her sister passed, she shared an earlier tribute revealing that Dolly had agreed to let doctors try experimental treatments on her in the hope that the research might eventually help others, writing at the time, “My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known. What the world saw is exactly who she was.”
Dolly was the fourth-oldest of the Parton family’s twelve siblings, with Stella coming along sixth.
