Dolly Parton’s family tensions – as her sister is accused of ‘blowing things out of proportion’

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It’s natural to have some competition and occasional drama when you’re one of twelve children, and it’s even more noticeable when your sister becomes a famous singer.

Dolly Parton’s family recently drew attention after her sister, Freida, publicly apologized for worrying people about Dolly’s health.

She shared on social media that she was ‘praying’ for Dolly, who recently cancelled her shows in Las Vegas. This cancellation has worried fans, who fear Dolly’s health may be more serious than previously known.

Dolly’s UK manager, Olly Rowland, has confirmed she’s been dealing with kidney stones. He said a recent statement from Freida exaggerated the situation. Freida has since apologized, explaining she didn’t intend to worry anyone or make it seem worse than it was.

However, it’s easy to see why she worries about her older sibling. They share a strong connection, having grown up together in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, where they lived a simple life without modern conveniences like running water, gas, or electricity, and slept on straw beds.

Dolly grew up with eleven siblings – Willadeene, David, Coy, Bobby, Stella, Cassie, Randy, Larry, the twins Estel and Freida, and Rachel – and they all shared a passion for old stories and songs. But what truly connected them was something even stronger than their love of music.

Dolly Parton and her siblings grew up taking on a lot of responsibility because their mother, Avie Lee, dealt with mental health issues and their father, Robert Lee Parton, struggled with alcohol. This meant Dolly, her sister Stella, and a woman named Willadeene, who acted as a second mother, often had to help raise the younger children.

Like many poor families in the Appalachian region who didn’t share in the economic prosperity after the war, Avie’s family struggled to make ends meet by farming. When Avie went into labor, her husband had to pay the local doctor with a bag of grain to ensure he would deliver their baby.

Dolly’s rise to fame on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967 unfortunately strained her relationships with her siblings, especially her sister and fellow singer, Stella.

Three year’s younger than Dolly, Stella also pursued a career in music and released 36 albums. 

Honestly, things got a little tricky with my relationship with Dolly. It really hurt when I realized I felt overlooked as her career took off. It was like I was pushed to the side as she found success, and it definitely created some distance between us.

In her 2011 memoir, *Tell It Sister, Tell It*, Stella wrote about still feeling like a young girl growing up in the mountains, sitting with her sister Dolly and creating songs together.

I remember being very young and frustrating Dolly because I struggled to write a good line when we first started working together. I suspect I was always a bit of a bother to her.

‘All I wanted was to be included in what she was doing. All she wanted was for me to get lost.’

Dolly became a huge star with incredibly successful record deals, but Stella had a much harder time building her own career in country music.

I’ve been following her story for years, and what really struck me was when she said she could either let having a famous sister drag her down, or she could choose to see it as something positive. It’s like, she *decided* to find the good in it, you know? It’s so inspiring to see her take control of the narrative like that.

I’ve definitely faced rejection and criticism. Some people are upset with me, assuming I’m only successful because of my sister, Dolly, and that I rely on her for financial support. They think I shouldn’t be pursuing my own career when she’s already achieved so much, and that she’s constantly helping me out.

Stella remembers a hurtful experience early in her career when her uncle, who was assisting with Dolly’s career, attempted to end her involvement in music completely.

Stella, who was a single mother with a young baby, says it feels like yesterday when recalling the experience.

He told her, “You should take your child and return home to continue working at the beauty salon, as that’s where you should be.”

Dolly’s uncle believed having Stella also pursue a music career would negatively impact Dolly’s own success.

Dolly then spoke, telling Stella that if she planned to sing, she’d need a new name, according to the book.

Stella was deeply disappointed by the rejection, but she didn’t give up. She went on to release 31 successful songs and perform concerts around the world.

She explains that many people are unaware of her personal history, and if they knew the details, they’d be surprised, not envious. Her relationship with her sister often creates difficult and uncomfortable situations that she has to navigate.

People seem to believe I deserve special treatment and should skip to the front, simply because Dolly has had such a successful and lengthy career.

Growing up, feeling rejected by Dolly deeply affected her. Dolly consistently distanced herself, and after years of trying, she eventually stopped trying to connect with her and accepted the situation.

Stella experienced difficult times in her twenties, including abusive relationships. At 24, she bravely survived a violent attempted rape committed by a man in a position of power in Tennessee.

‘He slapped me so hard he broke my nose,’ Stella recounted of the attack.

‘You can still see the scar on my face today – where the bone popped through the flesh.’

Unlike her siblings, Frieda chose a very different path, becoming a minister after initially trying her hand at music – first in a punk band, and later as a backup singer for Dolly Parton.

Frieda’s daughter, Andersen, previously shared with Knox News about her strong relationship with her sister. She explained that her mother is a songwriter and growing up, she was always surrounded by creativity. Frieda taught her to play guitar and encouraged her to express her feelings through music and writing.

She played a big part in it, and her older sister had a strong impact on her, creating a sort of domino effect where one helped the other succeed.

Although Dolly and Stella sometimes had their disagreements, Dolly was very close to several of her younger siblings, having helped raise them.

Dolly appears to be particularly close to her youngest sister, Rachel, who is 66 and was born on August 31, 1959.

I’ve always been amazed by Rachel’s story. She was only thirteen when she went to live with her older sister, and she was so dedicated to their life on the road that she left school in the eighth grade to be with her full-time. It really showed her commitment!

Rachel eventually pursued acting, appearing in the ABC sitcom 9 to 5, which was inspired by her sister’s musical. She also married Dolly Parton’s pianist, Richard Dennison, and they have a daughter together named Hannah.

Let me tell you, before Rachel became a star on screen, she was Dolly Parton’s right hand! She truly did it all – one day she’d be doing Dolly’s makeup, the next she’d be harmonizing as a backup singer. She was a total pro at whatever Dolly needed, a real jack-of-all-trades and so dedicated!

They’ve grown even closer lately, especially after publishing their cookbook, ‘Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year Of Meals,’ last December. The book features 80 of their cherished family recipes and has brought them even more time together.

Now, she frequently appears on Dolly’s Instagram, and they’ve done several stylish photoshoots together to showcase the book.

Dolly and her sister seemed to enjoy spending Christmas together this year. Dolly shared that as they’ve been creating meals and recipes to share, they’ve realized those dishes represent a lifetime of cherished moments with family, friends, and good food.

‘Rachel and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas Eve.’

Dolly marked the arrival of 2025 by highlighting the value of time spent with loved ones, and shared a heartwarming photo of herself playing the piano with Rachel.

In April 2024, Dolly shared an old photo with her sister Rachel, playfully noting that they’ve gone from being pictured together to now co-writing a cookbook!

Besides Freida, Stella, and Rachel, Dolly has eight more siblings: Willadeene, David Wilburn, Coy Denver, Bobby Lee, Cassie Nan, Randy Huston, Larry Gerald, and her twin brother, Estel Floyd.

Robert and Coy, Dolly’s brothers, have largely kept out of the spotlight.

Cassie, born in February 1951, sang gospel music with her siblings. She also performed as a vocalist on Dolly Parton’s 2013 show, *My People: Dolly’s Letter Home*, as reported by Knox News.

Ever since Cassie married Larry, and had Bryan and Rebecca, she’s basically disappeared from everything! It’s so sad! I still catch glimpses of her now and then with her sister, which is amazing, but I just *miss* seeing her all the time. I just want to know what she’s up to!

Dolly’s beloved brother David passed away in November last year aged 82. 

David, who shared 45 years of marriage with his wife Kay, preferred a quiet life. This was a deliberate choice, especially considering his family’s well-known history in the entertainment industry.

According to his obituary, he spent his career building bridges for Simpson Construction, working on many throughout the Kingsport, Johnson City, and Knoxville regions.

The family experienced several losses. Larry, the youngest, died shortly after being born in 1955. Later, Floyd, who wrote songs, passed away in 2018 at the age of 61, and Randy, a performer, died from cancer in 2021 at 67.

Although Larry sadly died young, he inspired Dolly Parton’s movie and popular song, both titled ‘Coat of Many Colors’.

Dolly was only nine years old when he passed away, and she was deeply saddened, saying she went through a lot of emotional pain.

Randy passed away in 2021 following a battle with cancer.

Similar to Dolly, he enjoyed a successful music career, releasing popular songs like ‘Hold Me Like You Never Had Me’ and ‘Shot Full of Love.’ He and Dolly even recorded a duet together, ‘Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You,’ and it’s well-known they greatly respected each other’s work.

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2025-10-08 15:06