Dolly Parton's sister Stella Parton has issued a public appeal for kindness following the country singer's death, criticising the "fake AI garbage" and "snarky tweets" that have circulated online since her passing. In an Instagram letter posted on 4 September, marking ten days since Dolly's death, Stella described the family's grief while noting the added strain of public scrutiny, saying they had "no choice but to be subjected to incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers."

Dolly Parton died on 25 August at the age of 80 following a brief cancer battle, with news of her illness only emerging afterwards. Stella, the sixth of the family's 12 siblings, urged the public to honour Dolly's memory through "tolerance and respect toward others" rather than clever put-downs, echoing an earlier tribute in which she revealed Dolly had agreed to try experimental drugs in the hope of aiding future medical research. The family has also recently mourned the death of another sibling, brother Coy, earlier this year.