Dolly Parton's sister Stella has revealed that the late country music legend offered to try experimental drugs in her final days to help future medical research. The singer died on August 25 at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
A final act of generosity
Stella Parton, 77, said her sister's generosity extended to her final days, with Dolly offering her own body to medical researchers. 'My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I've ever known,' she shared. 'What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future.'
Stella added: 'If anyone gets to heaven, I'm sure she made it right on time. I know she's showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister's way.'
Philanthropy and legacy
It has been reported that Dolly donated over $500 million throughout her life to healthcare research, children's literacy, LGBTQ+ organisations, animal conservation, and disaster relief. In 1995, her nonprofit Imagination Library was founded, mailing free books to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income. To this day, it has gifted over 300 million books worldwide, with one in 10 under-fives in the USA enrolled in the scheme.
In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Dolly donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for research, money credited with helping to fund and create the Moderna vaccine.
Final messages and tributes
In Dolly's honour, Stella asked fans to show 'more kindness' to others and to give 'more of your time and resources as she continued to do, to the very end.' One of Dolly's final Instagram posts shared her Imagination Library, revealing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce had donated $2 million.
Reflecting on her sister, Stella concluded: 'Dolly loved the world and everyone in it. 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.'
