Stella Parton remembers her sister Dolly with stories about family, prayer, hard work and the faith she believes shaped the country music icon’s heart.
“We always prayed together,” Stella said in an extended CBS MORNINGS interview, describing the phone conversations she and Dolly called “Teda Tuesdays.”
The detail is small and intimate: two sisters checking in, asking what was needed and returning to prayer when there was no easy practical answer. Stella said Dolly’s final request to her was not for a complicated favor, but for the thing she had asked for before.
“Just do what you always do. Just pray,” Dolly told her, according to Stella.
Stella also spoke about the necklaces she wore during the interview. One came from their mother’s room after the funeral; another carried “Teda,” Stella’s family nickname, and had been given to the sisters by Dolly.
Related: Dolly Parton, Faith-Filled Country Icon and Movieguide® Award Winner, Dies at 80
“Mama needs to be in the middle of everything,” Stella said, explaining why she wore the pieces together. The jewelry became a quiet picture of the family ties surrounding Dolly’s public life.
When asked about Dolly’s faith, Stella described her sister as someone with a Christian heart and connected that belief to lessons from their mother. She emphasized love and the conviction that every person remains valuable, even when that person’s choices are difficult.
“I think Dolly had a Christian heart,” Stella said. She added that their mother taught the family that “we were all God’s children.”
Stella’s account also makes room for the cost of celebrity. She says the family had to share Dolly with the world, a sacrifice that outsiders may not understand when a relative becomes famous on an extraordinary scale.
“We had to give her away to the world,” Stella explained, describing what Dolly’s career required of the family.
Dolly died on Aug. 25 at 80 after an undisclosed battle with cancer.
“I just believe that there’s a God. I believe that God helps me, leads me,” the legendary singer said of her faith. “I talk to Him everyday.”
“I do believe that through God all things are possible. I do believe that Jesus loves me,” she added. “I’m never ashamed of my family. I’m never ashamed of my religion.”
Stella’s most lasting picture of Dolly is not a stage costume or a business empire. It is a sister asking for prayer, a family carrying grief together and a belief that love remains worth giving, even when it hurts.
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