Stella Parton breaks her silence after sister Dolly’s death with heartbreaking tribute

For years, Stella Parton and her sister Dolly has a weekly appointment nobody else was invited to - coffee over the phone, every Tuesday morning, just before the sun came up.

Sadly, that ritual is now over.

Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 80, and it was Stella who confirmed just how much the loss of their weekly catch-up means to her, in a raw tribute posted to Facebook.

'My big sister Dolly got her wings this past Tuesday,' she wrote, adding that she was certain Dolly 'made it right on time' to heaven, 'in all her sparkles and shine.'

Stella's tribute leaned heavily on those small, private moments the sisters shared rather than Dolly's fame.

She recalled how, as 'little farm girls,' they'd always been early risers, with Dolly fond of saying: 'shoot Tedda we get more work done before the sun comes up than most folks do all day long!'

Stella Parton and Dolly Parton shared a weekly Tuesday morning phone call over coffee for many years. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage)

What did Stella Parton say about Dolly Parton's death?

Stella described her sister as 'one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I've ever known,' revealing that Dolly had told her she would still let doctors try experimental treatment on her, even without hope for herself, purely to help future patients.

Stella said that during their Tuesday chats "I would criticize and complain about it and she would laugh and say; “shoot Tedda, we’ve got more important things to do than worry about their silly asses.”

"She was right and she proved it everyday."

She added: "My Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but her love, respect and goodness will remain. Dolly loved the world and everyone in it."

Dolly leaves behind a catalogue few artists can match.

She's the best-selling female country artist in history, having sold more than 160 million albums since her 1967 debut, Hello, I'm Dolly, and later hits including I Will Always Love You and 9 to 5.

She was predeceased by Carl Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years, who died in March 2025.

Stella closed her tribute with a message to fans: "She left the world a better place by being in it so let's follow her example."

How did Dolly Parton die?

According to the statement given to PEOPLE, Dolly was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on Friday, August 21, and died four days later following a 'brief battle with cancer,' surrounded by loved ones.

Her team's statement praised her for 'bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,' pointing to the 'hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library' and funding she provided toward a lifesaving vaccine used worldwide.

Seaver, who has served as Dolly's head of security for more than two decades, described the moment in deeply personal terms in his announcement, calling it 'an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.'

Dolly Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, at age 80, following what her team described as a "brief battle with cancer." (Instagram/Dolly Parton)

He added that 'sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,' saying he believes she has been reunited with her late husband, Carl, and her parents.

Just days before she died, Dolly herself had spoken to PEOPLE about her declining health, admitting she'd been 'dealing with some health issues' she hadn't paid close attention to while caring for Carl.

She compared it to a rough patch in the early 1980s, joking that constant social media scrutiny now made everything feel bigger than it used to: 'I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I'm the Queen of Social Media AI!'

Even so, she insisted she wasn't done yet, saying she still had 'so many things I want to achieve.'