Dolly Parton's Sister Stella Shares Tragic Detail About Their Weekly Love Of Hot Coffee (And Hot Gossip)

Stella Parton is remembering her big sister, Dolly Parton. The singer-songwriter posted a loving tribute on Facebook just two days after it was revealed that the beloved country music superstar had died at 80 after being diagnosed with cancer. "My big sister Dolly got her wings this past Tuesday. If anyone gets to heaven I'm sure she made it right on time," Stella wrote. She then sweetly recalled their weekly tradition of catching up and exchanging gossip over the phone while drinking coffee. "Every Tuesday about this time, before the sun came up and the world was still asleep, she and I for many years had our coffee together over the phone," Stella shared. "We would catch up on gossip, as sisters do, and drink coffee and make plans as it has always been our way."

Stella remembered Dolly as a warm and selfless soul. Even towards the end of her life, the "9 to 5" hitmaker was concerned with helping others. In fact, as Stella revealed, the Grammy winner was willing to undergo experimental treatments that could benefit others in the future. Dolly spent her final days at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, where she passed away "surrounded by loved ones" on August 25, per her reps (via Today). "What the world saw is exactly who she was," Stella confirmed in her post. "[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."

She thanked everyone who has shown love for Dolly in the wake of her death, noting, "My Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but her love, respect and goodness will remain."

Aside from coffee and hot gossip, another thing Dolly Parton and her famous sister, Stella Parton, had in common was their ability to always find the humor in life. In June, her little sister offered an update amid deepening health fears over Dolly pulling out of another big event last minute. At the time, Stella said she was "doing great" (via People). "She's very philosophical about everything as well, so we're good," the singer-songwriter reassured fans. "And if all else fails, we make a joke about it." Stella and Dolly had a way of looking at things even in tough times. "We just have to laugh and laugh at ourselves as much as we laugh at everybody else, because if you take it too serious, you can't carry the load," she stressed, describing it as a "family rule."

Stella looked up to Dolly too. "[Growing up,] I was kind of a pain in the b*** to her, because I was so close in age to her," she admitted in an archival interview on "Vicki!" (via YouTube). The Parton sisters were separated by just three years, with Dolly the fourth and Stella the sixth of 12 siblings. Like Dolly, Stella is also gifted in music and has been performing since she was a child. She made waves in the '70s with her hit song "I Want To Hold You in My Dreams Tonight" and continues to release music. "I always wanted to do everything that she was doing, and I was just young enough for her to think that she would know more than me," Stella acknowledged. "So, I always made sure that she lived hard for that. [...] But I love her a lot, and she loves me a lot."