Dolly Parton‘s sister Stella told “CBS Mornings” in a new interview that the country music icon hid her cancer battle not only from fans but also from “a lot of family” because she did not want her legacy tainted with sadness. Parton died in Nashville on Aug. 25 at 80 years old. The singer’s representative later confirmed her death followed a “brief battle” with cancer. The news came as a shock to both Parton’s friends and family.
“Dolly did not want anybody to tell that because Dolly could not bear negative things,” Stella told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. “She would not have wanted her fans worried about it… She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it. Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative.”
“She did not want people sad,” Sella continued. “She’d be really happy and delighted that people have shown her so much love because she knew that that would make us feel better as her family. Bottom line, end of the day, her family and Carl’s family and probably Judy’s family are the people that she would want to say, ‘See, everything I did, they cared. They really loved me.’”
Stella was referring to Dolly’s late husband, Carl Dean, and her longtime best friend, Judy Ogle.
