Dolly Parton’s sister reveals ‘last thing’ country legend asked of her before death

Dolly Parton's sister is sharing the final request she received from the musician.

During a recent interview with "CBS Mornings," Stella Parton shared the last thing her sister asked of her before her death.

"That’s the last thing Dolly asked me for, was prayer," she recalled.

The legendary musician died Aug. 25 at the age of 80 after a "brief battle with cancer," which she hid from her fans and even some family members.

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Stella noted that the family would not be sharing what type of cancer Dolly had "out of respect for her" since Dolly "didn't tell us that we could say it." She added that she is able to speak about her love for her sister, but when it comes to her health, "it's not my business to tell her business."

Concerns over the "Jolene" singer's health first arose in September 2025, when she made the difficult decision to postpone a number of shows in Las Vegas, telling fans she needed to undergo a "few procedures."

"I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts," Parton shared online at the time. "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."

Shortly after Dolly made her announcement, concern among fans increased when her sister Freida asked fans to pray for Dolly, saying, "Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately."

When speaking with "CBS Mornings," Stella noted, "I think Dolly got on to Freida about that.

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"I'm pretty sure Dolly said, 'You're going to, you know, pipe it down,' because that was the first time people thought 'Oh,'" she said. "And she knew that Freida was just upset and hurt, but she thought, 'Don't be telling my situation, Freida. Don't be spilling my business.'"

According to Stella, Dolly decided to keep her diagnosis a secret because she "could not bear negative things" and didn't want her fans to worry about her.

Her death came a little over a year after the death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82. While some have speculated Dolly died of a broken heart, Stella doesn't agree.

"I think she was very sad, but I don't think that's why she got sick," Stella said. "I think she worked too hard and didn't maybe take as good a care of herself as she should have. She, at one point, she said, 'You know, I spent a lot of time caring for Carl that maybe I neglected myself.'"

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She went on to say that while it "broke her heart to see him in the shape he" was in before he died, she ultimately believes Dolly's determination to continue working "so hard for so long" contributed to her death.

When speaking about Dolly's relationship with Dean, she referred to it as "very unique and very deep and loyal" and gave Dean credit for being supportive of Dolly and loving "her enough to let her be what she was."

Stella explained that while Dolly was a huge star across the globe, Dean "didn't care about that at all," and if it was up to him, she would have been "at the house with her hair up in a ponytail and barefooted cooking in the kitchen." Stella said even family members rarely saw Dolly without her signature glamorous look after she became a star.

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"Not after she got to be Dolly Parton. No. She would sleep in her makeup when she'd come spend the night with me," Stella said. "Oh, I knew what she looked like. She looked like me without her makeup. So, I knew what she looked like without it."

Her sister also credited Dolly for being a good businesswoman, saying that while she had opinions on politics and other controversial topics, she never shared them because "she would never have offended anyone."

Although Dolly was battling cancer, Stella says she knows her sister was at peace in her final moments.

"She knew where she was going," she said. "She wasn't going anywhere bad. She was going to be with mom and daddy. She was prepared. Yeah, she was definitely prepared."

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When it comes to how she hopes her sister is remembered, Stella said she wants people to think of her as "very sweet, kind, loving, brilliant and so talented."

"Her creativity had no bounds, and she could dream bigger than anybody," Stella said. "And I want young people, young girls and boys that may think they have no opportunity to dream. Coming from our situation, she gave us permission to dream that way."