Tragic Details About Dolly Parton's Five Sisters

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Dolly Parton has long spoken about her closeness with her five sisters, Willadeene, Stella, Cassie, Freida, and Rachel Parton, and gushed that even though they didn't always have the most glamorous upbringing, they always knew they had one another. Thankfully, that closeness has helped them weather a number of storms over the years, from rumors to family disagreements and heartbreaking losses. 

We'll start with the rumors. As many will know, the internet went into overdrive over Dolly's health issues in October 2025 when her younger sister, Freida, asked her Facebook friends to pray for the star. "Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn't been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me," Freida wrote. Unfortunately, many saw the post as a sign that Dolly was gravely ill, and the rumor mill began to churn. A few hours later, Freida shared another Facebook post, clarifying that her initial message may have sounded more ominous than she'd meant it to. "I didn't mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious ... She's been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister," Freida wrote.

Dolly ultimately responded to all the chatter in a video posted to her YouTube channel. Though she joked that she wasn't dead yet, she nonetheless hinted that she understood where Freida had been coming from, noting that she had a strong belief in prayer, and always appreciated when people kept her in theirs (even if she wasn't seriously unwell). 

Though it was Freida Parton whose Facebook post got people talking about her older sister's health, Stella Parton ended up being roped into the situation as well. And, as she shared in an X, formerly known as Twitter, post, some of the messages she'd received on the matter were pretty unkind. 

Starting with a note that Dolly had been very open about her kidney stones, Stella pointed out that Freida had only good intentions in posting about it. "My sister Freida is always concerned when one of her siblings isn't feeling well so she [asked] for prayers on Dolly's behalf," Stella wrote. However, she went on to hint that she'd received messages demanding she comment on the matter, and made it clear she wasn't obliged to comment on anything her older or younger sister did or said. "It's my job as a sister to both of them to love and respect their privacy as I expect them to do for me. To those of you who make it your job to attack me for not being your personal information center, you need to go check their pages!" Stella wrote. 

Stella — who, like her older sister, is also a singer and actor, and has even collaborated with Dolly in the past – finished off by reiterating that the majority of people reaching out were doing so for the right reasons. However, she scolded, "Some of you are way out of line with disregard for my feelings concerning their wellbeing." She concluded by telling people to stop asking her about it, but also to stop insulting her when they did. Dolly didn't weigh in on the matter, but given Stella's comments regarding privacy, something tells us she preferred it that way. 

It's worth noting that while Dolly Parton has always said she and her 11 siblings get along well, Stella Parton has on occasion shared details to suggest tension between them. 

For one, in her 2011 autobiography "Tell It Sister, Tell It," she recounted that growing up, when the massive brood would sing together, Dolly would get annoyed by her because, "I couldn't come up with a satisfactory line in one of those early collaborations," per the Daily Mail. Of course, siblings being annoyed by each other is hardly a novel concept — but Stella went on to share that it continued as the sisters transitioned from childhood to adulthood as well. In fact, she wrote that though Dolly hadn't been quite as opposed to Stella going into the music business as their uncle (who Stella says told her to quit and work in a beauty shop), she had asked her to drop their shared last name. Stella didn't, and continued to work in show business over the years. 

Though Stella wrote in "Tell It Sister, Tell It" that she admired Dolly and how she'd used her success to do good, in 2019, she once again hinted at some prickliness between them. This time, she was calling her sister out for not being vocal enough about the #MeToo movement in an episode of the "Our Stories with Adrena Austin" podcast. Speaking of sexual harassment and assault in the country music business, Stella said, "I think my sister should speak out more. I honestly call her out." Later on, she doubled down on that. "I'm ashamed of my sister for keeping her mouth shut. She can run it all day long when it's about something else," Stella scoffed. Dolly did not respond.

This slide includes mention of sexual assault and domestic violence. 

Stella Parton is very open about the fact that one of the reasons why she is so vocal about things like the #MeToo movement is because of some of the heartbreaking things she's endured over the years. In "Tell It Sister, Tell It," she revealed that she survived abuse in relationships, as well as an attempted sexual assault when she was in her early twenties. Stella revealed that her nose had been broken in the latter incident. Per Country Living, when she encountered her attacker many years down the line — he was a politician, though she's never revealed his name — he shared no trace of guilt, which only added to her existing trauma. 

Heartbreakingly, that wouldn't be the only majorly traumatic experience Stella would go through. Speaking to Coastal Courier in 2012, Stella revealed that she'd once been abducted by a former fiancé, who had taken her to another country. "He forced me out of the country against my will. People at the airport didn't help me, because they thought it was a domestic dispute," she recounted. She ultimately made it back home just over a week later, but shared that she chose to keep it quiet on her return. Of that, she explained that she knew her last name would garner press attention, and she didn't want to embarrass Dolly Parton, or even worse, her young son. 

Stella ended up using her experiences as a way to inspire others, explaining in a 2021 appearance on Studio 10, "I think anything we go through, we should use that to help others. Let that be a testimony to your survival, so that someone else can say, 'Hey, if she can go through that and still come out okay, then surely I can as well.'" She's certainly brave to do so.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Moving on to heartbreaking things Dolly Parton and her 11 siblings experienced as a group, some may know that when they were still young, one of their brothers passed away. Larry Parton was only a few days old when he died — and Dolly has said his death was one of the tragic moments of her own life. This, because as she explained at a 2015 event, each of the older Parton kids had been designated as a new baby's deputy parent (via Fox News). She was set to be Larry's deputy mom. 

Sadly, Larry isn't the only of the Partons to have passed away. In 2018, 61-year-old Floyd Parton, who was Freida's twin, died. In a Facebook post, Freida revealed that she hadn't been with him at the time of his passing, as she had been in the hospital herself. That said, she shared that Stella Parton had been with him, revealing, "She held him close, and hugged him, and prayed him right into heaven." Freida further added that Stella and Floyd had been exceptionally close, writing, "Floyd and I may have been twins, but his bond with Stella was so strong that he felt like the three of us were triplets."

Devastatingly, the Partons faced yet more loss in 2021, when Dolly revealed in a Facebook post that Randy Parton had died as a result of cancer. "The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time," the singer wrote. In 2024, the siblings had yet more heartbreak, and Stella shared on X that David Parton had died as well. "It is never easy to say goodbye to a loved one but he got his angel wings," she wrote.

In the wake of their brothers' deaths, each of the Parton siblings who has issue a statement notably found the positives, whether it be that Stella Parton "prayed [Floyd Parton] right into heaven," as Freida Parton said on Facebook, or Dolly saying that the family believed Randy Parton had been reunited with their other loved ones who had passed away. They've also remained close — yes, even Dolly and Stella share a tight bond. As Stella told Coastal Courier, "We've always had what I would call a big sister/little sister relationship. But it's a sibling relationship, and it's very loving." Stella continued that both of them were protective of one another, and as we said, they collaborated on "More Power to Ya." Speaking to Studio 10, Stella even shared that they'd written the song while having a sleepover, something she said they liked doing on occasion to catch up. 

As for the sisters who aren't quite as vocal on social media, Dolly has also collaborated with her sister, Rachel Parton George, for a cookbook. In a sweet aside, while promoting the book with InStyle, Dolly revealed how much the bond meant to her, telling the outlet, "My sisters are some of the best friends that I have in the whole wide world." As for Cassie Parton, Freida has shared throwbacks of them together at a wedding on Facebook, gushing over how much she adored all of her sisters. 

The Partons' eldest sister, Willadeene Parton, has been out of the spotlight for years, but it seems that aside from the heartbreak of losing her brothers, she's doing fine as well. This, after Freida shared an August 2025 update to Facebook, "She's 85 now and doing great!" We couldn't be happier to hear it.