'It broke her to see him in that shape': Dolly Parton's sister on whether she died of a broken heart after losing Carl Dean

It felt like the whole world grieved Dolly Parton’s passing, but there were only a handful of people who were there at the end of her life.

In her first interview since losing her sister, Stella Parton has offered a moving insight into Dolly’s final moments, why she kept her health battle a secret, and revealed more about the “unique” relationship between Dolly and her elusive husband, Carl Dean.

Speaking to CBS host Gayle King, Stella revealed that Dolly was “at peace” and “prepared” to go in those final moments - but she had been left broken-hearted by the shape in which her husband of 59 years reached before his own death in 2025.

Dolly herself acknowledged that she had neglected her own health when she was caring for Carl in his final days, and Stella has shared just the effect it had on her sister. “I know their relationship was very unique and very deep and loyal.

“I think it broke her heart to see him in the shape that he got to before he passed away. But I don’t think that’s what made her sick. I think my sister worked so hard for so long and just kept going. Even to the last conversation I had with her, she was working. That was her passion.”

Carl was famously Dolly’s rock for over six decades, having first met in 1964, but he eschewed the public eye for that whole time. Only those closest to the icon knew what he was really like.

Stella revealed, “He adored her. He was fascinated with her. He thought she was funny, like Tinkerbell - and he was quiet and shy.”

She continued, “He would have rather her be at the house with her hair up in a ponytail, and barefooted, cooking in the kitchen and just messing around the house. I think that’s what he would have preferred.

“He loved her enough to let her be what she was. That’s how I see it.”

Sharing more about Dolly’s final says, Stella reassured fans that Dolly “was at peace… I could always tell by looking at her face, even if I hadn’t seen her in months.”

Her passing after a brief battle with cancer seemed to take everyone by surprise, and Stella has shared that was Dolly’s wish - to stop people worrying about her. “Dolly could not bear negative things and 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.”

Of her sister’s legacy, Stella said, “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.”