LIFESTYLE
Parton died aged 80 last month
Dolly Parton’s sister has criticised the “tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage” circulating online as her family mourns the country star.
Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80. Her representatives subsequently said her death followed a “brief battle with cancer”.
Artists have paid tribute through performances of her music. Kacey Musgraves sang ‘Here You Come Again’ in Boston, while Maisie Peters chose the same track for her Reading Festival set.
Jack White honoured Parton with ‘Jolene’ during a London concert, and Orville Peck performed ‘I Will Always Love You’ in her memory. Olivia Rodrigo dedicated her Daisy Chain Fields duet with Sarah McLachlan to the singer as well.
Alongside those tributes, however, her sister Stella said the family has faced “incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers”.
“Firstly let me say, thank you to the ones of you who have shown ‘genuine’ support and love during this time of our family bereavement,” Stella posted on Instagram. “We will be okay in time but each of us will grieve in our own peronal way.”
Describing the difficulties of grieving publicly, she continued: “Every human experiences pain and loss in life and my family is no different. 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. There is a tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage being posted everyday and it’s been challenging to absorb and or ignore.”
Stella also condemned “those who are in the business of exploiting the loss and tragedies of others”, saying they would eventually “move on to the next stampede of endless misinformation.”
Meanwhile, Parton’s estate has announced the first DollyFest celebrations for Nashville and London in 2027, describing the planned events as “star-studded” affairs lasting two days.
Celebrating Parton’s life and lasting influence, the events will run over successive weekends next year. Organisers expect to reveal the exact dates in the coming weeks.
In a statement carried by BBC News, DollyFest organiser Danny Nozell, founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises, explained that the celebrations would replace a conventional public memorial.
Parton’s private funeral took place last weekend. She was buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville, also the resting place of country musicians Porter Wagoner, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Carl Dean, her husband of almost 60 years, was buried there last year.
