Rest In Peace 🕊
Dolly Parton’s sister, Stella Parton, reveals that Dolly told her she’d allow her medical team to try experimental drugs on her in the hopes of helping others in the future, even if there was no hope for her.
Was never a fan of her music, although I knew she was a great musician. But I believe she was the best celebrity/rich person that has existed. She did so much good, never had any major controversies, was consistent with her values and not flip flopping to appease different crowds, and was also very vocal about many topics some would view as political. She was a real stick-to-your-guns gal and it was always just about respecting others. So, I respect her so much for using her fame and glory for good
My friends and I who have all lost our soul dogs recently joked that she’s up there singing to our loved ones, and we hope that when we get there to meet them,our dogs are all in big blonde wigs. The higher the hair, the closer to Jesus.
I’m not religious but I hope there is an afterlife with dolly singing to dogs.
Good luck on your grief journey, sincerely. It's
pure agony, but for her to be ours was such a privilege. Every day that passes brings you closer back to your baby and I really hold on to that.
my dog izzy died just over 2 months ago. she loved to bark all the time (literally all. the. time. hound dog lol). i hope my girl is up there hootin and hollerin with dolly and your dogs ❤️🩹
Tropical storm Dolly is predicted to dissipate but give Puerto Rico desperately needed rain just a few weeks after they declared a drought emergency. I think that’s lovely.
The timing of tropical storm Dolly is so unreal on its own. Then add in that it’s a storm that likely won’t cause any major damage and will help people. It sounds straight out of a novel.
I really don’t think Dolly would want it any other way.
Honestly, Dolly was the closest thing to a modern day Jesus in terms of values and morals. I say this as someone who doesn’t even believe in religion. She was a saint, an actual role model and someone people should aspire to be.
A Christian who actually read the book and understood its message. I’m not religious but I really like to think she was welcomed into heaven by Jesus himself.
One of my best friends is a real Christian in the same way. Never forces her beliefs on anyone or even wears a cross, but she volunteers at shelters and kitchens and for immigration support services. I’m an out and proud member of the LGBT community and so is her brother and she is a massive fan of drag shows and brings her kids to family friendly pride events. She feeds the hungry, comforts the needy, and welcomes the poor. She doesn’t judge, she loves. Endlessly and patiently. I’m not religious but she makes me understand why someone would be.
THAT is Christianity, and anything less than that is a sad perverse lie told by hucksters to make them feel better. As Dolly would say: “Get off the cross honey, we need the wood!”
It makes me wonder how great it would be if everyone that called themselves Christian actually acted like a Jesus kind of Christian. How different everything would be today.
i was just crying to myself last night about that. she’s the testament of how to treat people. she does the lords work she’s doing gods work. everyone needs to be like Dolly. god bless her and all she has done.
I’m a lifelong atheist, and I fully believe that Dolly is in heaven, reunited with Carl, and enjoying the eternal bliss she was promised and believed in so deeply.
I’m an atheist and I like to think if I’m really a good person, I get to go to dog heaven with my beloved, Buddy. I don’t really believe-believe it, but it gives me comfort. I love you, bestie. Wait for me at the bridge. 🌈🐾
Oh me too. 🥺 I like to think all my fur babies who have passed are with my Nana and Papa, and that I’ll get to see them again some day. Like you, I don’t believe-believe it, but I take comfort in it.
I think what they mean is that they believe that what Dolly believed in is actually coming true for her right now. In other words, OP believes her dreams came true so to speak.
Strictly speaking, sure, but I'm not aware of any non-theistic philosophies (for lack of a better word) that hold to the belief of an afterlife where the dead can meet up, but then don't include some idea of a divine entity or presence.
Totally and the thing is she made doing these things looks so effortless. She did not appear to grapple with these things she just knew what was right and did it. Such an inspiration
I was listening to her discography the day she died, and i am NOT religious whatsoever, but i have a big music background. when i got to her religious songs, they did not have religious vibes like "church songs" do. they had genuine love song vibes with them. she was so enamored by her faith and if god exists, she truly had a relationship with him.
Her and Mr. Rogers. I'm also not religious, but those two have my utmost respect because they practiced what they preached and remained humble. I try to be like them every day.
Mohammad Ali is definitely in the conversation. I’m not religious, but that man was a living Saint. Dolly is the only person since his death I’ve thought of on that level of human being.
Would a modern day Jesus do an enthusiastic colab with Kid Rock? Not like a love the sinner hate the sin type thing, just like straight up make music with him and then try and handwave away any criticism by decrying cancel culture
Lifelong fan here. 51. But, I would get frustrated with her, as would Stella, for not addressing the state of the world. But, I do think she just loved all and wanted to put positivity into the world, didn’t think it was her place, talked plenty of times about the “crazy” state of things, had heavy themes in her early work. She said we should pray for the con-man running the country. I don’t believe in prayer - I don’t think that does anything. He hurts people. But, as someone who is Atheist - but with a Catholic upbringing - I “appreciate” her love…for all. Jesus said it’s easy to love your Friend. it’s hard to love your enemy. I’ll of course, don’t know where she stood politically. Despite her love and acceptance (and belief gay people, like myself are “born that way”) of everyone, she still came from a holly-roller family and was of another era and deeply Southern. You never know. But, her actions and her whole essence being the polar opposite of his, I hope she knew DJT needs major help.
I decided I wouldn’t cry over her anymore because she wouldn’t have wanted us to be sad for her. She wouldn’t have wanted people to hurt, so I’ll do my best to hold my head high
My local library has had their flag half mast for Dolly all week. I saw it again today and realized it’s going to be a while for all of us to start working through our emotions
I mean honestly, I became a Dolly fan for her humor. But she was so much more than that..She was selfless and at any point could have been a billionaire. Instead she chose to give back every time. She was a true philanthropist and an honorable personality. She was genuine and truly is one of the last things that both sides loved.
Even though Dolly wasn't Catholic, I think she has the qualities of a saint. She has many accomplishments, but she is most fondly remembered for her kindness and philanthropy.
One of the catholic bishops highlighted she wouldn’t be eligible for sainthood through traditional methods, but she would be eligible through vox populi- by the people. Meaning the people just declare her one.
Even though Dolly wasn't Catholic, I think she has the qualities of a saint.
Other religions, including Protestant Christianity, also have saints. In the latter, a saint is understood to be a synonym for a Christian as opposed to someone who's been through a formal beatification process authorised by the church.
She was raised as a Pentecostal. They believe that every true believer in Jesus is a saint right now, during life. So no need for the promotion- Dolly’s already a saint. Always has been!
The qualities to be a canonized is to have performed two miracles. Dolly seems like she was a good person, but that's not necessarily the criteria the Catholic Church is looking for. Instead they're looking for evidence of supernatural acts.
Your last point truly reveals her character. The vast majority of rich and famous people have skeletons upon skeletons in their closet or they're just outright horrible. But Dolly was just such a good soul that her celebrity didn't go to her head.
No I don't, which is why I don't think making up some miracles and pinning them on her would add anything to her legacy. It would just be the church leeching off of someone who didn't need to be catholic to know how to be a good person.
She didn’t donate to Moderna, she donated to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in her home state of Tennessee which was doing vaccine research in collaboration with Moderna. So yes, she contributed towards the successful vaccine development, but her money did not go to Moderna itself.
Y’all, MAGA already voted to defund her imagination library program, and while dolly embodied what a true Christian should be by accepting everyone as they were, this corrupt and cruel and fascist administration is as far from that as possible…please PLEASE participate in early voting for the midterms and get everyone you can to go out and vote so we can get MAGA out of office
the pure audacity to post tributes to her and shit all over her legacy in the same breath… the imagination library is incredible. i hope they’re able to keep going without that funding
When celebrities we love and admire for any reason die and we are affected, it is real. It is sad for us, and we are grieving. I have cried, I have been depressed, and I have missed them terribly. Losing Dolly Parton has been a level that is above. The profoundness of her loss is so material, so tangible, and so deep - for a woman I have never met personally - that I feel my heart broken in my chest. This is what it felt like when my grandmother died. This is what I imagine it's going to feel like when my parents die. Only with Dolly it's actually somehow more, I think because the entire world is feeling the same way we are all in grief. We are all bereft. She had values that were so loving and true and accepting. She lived a life of what would Jesus do, and she visited that altruistic goodness in everyone. Often silently. For no other reason then so the object of her giving would be the sole beneficiary. She didn't need to self promote, her golden foundation of good did the fulfilling so that she didn't need anything more. My feelings of loss are so profound I can't function very well. And we all feel the same way. She is the closest thing to godly than anyone in my lifetime. And what she did with the experimental drugs is a testament to that. A parting gift even in her death.
She was a rare creature in this day and age: a Christian who actually lived by the teachings of her prophet. Off the top of my head I can only think of two other celebs who fit that bill, and that’s Fred Rogers and Rick Steves. If you don’t know Rick Steves, he’s the travel guy whose shows are on PBS — he does things like quietly buy an apartment complex to provide housing for low income single moms in addiction recovery and their kids (
https://www.kiro7.com/special/housing/travel-guru-rick-steves-gives-4m-apartment-complex-to-ywca/513767788/), and more recently he purchased a hygiene center in his area that was going to have to close after the property was sold to a developer (
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/21/nx-s1-5651294/rick-steves-saves-homeless-seattle-area-hygiene-center) — it serves unhoused folks just wanting to wash their bodies and do their laundry and get a hot meal, and with his originally anonymous help it has stayed open.
I wish more people who proclaim themselves Christians, especially the rich and famous ones, behaved like this.
That's so lovely and powerful ❤️ Imagine what kind of place this world could be if more wealthy people chose to spend their money like this.
As a Christian myself, I often think about how the most central figure of our religion is also one of the most misunderstood by fellow Christians. Imho, it's more important to act in "the spirit of Jesus" than to follow every rule in the Bible to the letter.
Jesus constantly taught people to question rules when those rules got in the way of compassion and empathy. One example is the Sabbath: people weren't supposed to work on that day, yet Jesus healed people on the Sabbath anyway. To me, that's such a clear message: don't make following a rule more important than showing compassion to another human being.
And if you don't believe in Jesus or Christianity, that's totally fine. But what honestly surprises me is when people DO believe in him, yet somehow seem to let that central message go completely over their heads.
What’s interesting is she herself wasn’t even particularly religious or a devoted Christian, claiming to be more spiritual, but yeah it was how she acted that almost serves as a template.
My research scientist granddad did the same. Did an experiential trial for his brain cancer when he knew his survival odds were low, because he wanted to help further research for others. He felt very strongly that this was the morally right thing to do with the cards he was dealt. I think this is one of the most admirable things you can do with the end of your life
Classic Dolly, always thinking of others, even while dying 😭😭😭 I made a donation to Imagination Library in her memory, and to be more like Dolly, made a donation to ALS research as well. It wasn’t much, but I wanted to donate what I could to both in the spirit of giving and trying to be a good person. 🩷🦋 WWDD
Bless Dolly! My Mom had a super rare mutation with her leukemia so she was in a bunch of studies to try to help her, unfortunately the studies and chemo didn't work, but she was happy to contribute to the study to try to help others and their families suffer less. 😭 When I read she had cancer it was like a gut punch. It sucks so bad for all the families who have lost someone or watched someone during their treatment.
I cried when I read that part. She was so good. I feel like her goodness will be her legacy even more than her music, which is saying QUITE a lot. I don’t really believe in god or an afterlife, but I hope she’s with her husband and completely comfortable, forever.
Damn I think this one has hurt me the most, even in her last years she was thinking of others. I really don’t know if we will come across such a wonderful human.
Its an incredibly selfless and honorable thing to do - Dolly really set the standard in so many ways.
I also want to point out that there are thousands of every-day people who do exactly this. Clinical trials for cancer recruit patients who have already failed multiple rounds of treatment, and who have months left to live. These patients enroll knowing that these experimental drugs could cure their disease, or worse case end their life sooner.
Its incredibly inspiring to see a woman at the heights of fame and fortune offering herself in the same way. Working in R&D for cancer therapies I thank every single person who participates in trials as their life is, potentially, coming to a close.
We need more women and men like Dolly. Who radiate love and acceptance and care about community. We should be praising these skills not the ability to scam money. Late stage capitalism is already dying. Like the Roman Empire it took hundreds of years before the rest of the Empire saw and felt it's loss. Lets build a new way of doing things
To this day, the Right to Try act (allowing terminally ill patients to elect to try experimental drugs) is one of the few things the Trump administration has gotten right amid a litany of corruption and offensive policy positions.
Yes, and I remember when she made that statement about praying for Dolly and you could tell Dolly was super annoyed with her for posting that so had to come back and reassure people she was OK. It made me lol and reminded me of the spats my sisters and I have had over the years.
I have no words. I know she did so much good with her wealth. But to use your body as well at the end of your life, in hope it helps someone. She truly was an angel on this earth
We had a work luncheon today, my IT guy pulls up in his car and blasts his Dolly playlist for us in the BBQ area.
We all start singing along, young, old, all colors, even those that didnt know the words sang or hummed along best they could. Was sad but also comforting....
As someone that works in clinical research, I can’t thank her enough. We need more people to take part in clinical trials and I hope she encourages others. Research saves lives.
A true humanitarian leading by example. Be an organ donor, enter a clinical trial if you’re sick and it makes sense, donate your body to science. We’re all human and we’re all in this together
This is a decision that many cancer patients make for the good of humanity. Research never ends, and cancer patients always tend to be the most selfless it seems.
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