Dolly Parton’s sister Stella tells LGBTQ+ fans: ‘She loved every one of you’

Stella Parton, the younger sister of the late country music legend and LGBTQ+ ally, shared that Dolly Parton “loved every one” of her queer fans.

Stella accepted The Advocate’s 2026 Advocate of the Year award on her late sister’s behalf on Thursday (12 November).

Dolly Parton passed away in August, aged 80. Her cause of death was later confirmed as a “brief battle with cancer”.

The Out100 gala is the latest in many memorials honouring Dolly Parton’s advocacy and allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. 

At the event, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton’s longtime friend and 9 to 5 costar, presented the award with a very emotional speech.

“It feels so comforting to be surrounded by so many people, friends and fans who love and admire Dolly the way I do,” Tomlin shared.

“She was radically authentic. She could connect with anyone. And the only thing bigger than her hair was her legendary heart.

“There was room in there in that heart for all of us, from one poor family in East Tennessee to a queer kid in East LA,” she continued.

“If you’ve ever felt like an outsider at one time in your life or feel like you didn’t belong, Dolly invited us in and told us she loved us and we loved her right back.

“Dolly proved that you don’t have to choose between tradition and acceptance. You can be a Christian girl from Tennessee who loves transgender people.”

‘A Christian girl from Tennessee who loves transgender people’

Accepting the posthumous award on Dolly Parton’s behalf, Stella Parton also dedicated her speech to celebrating her sister’s LGBTQ+ allyship.

“The thing about my sister was she was like a kaleidoscope,” Stella Parton said.

“She saw a little bit of herself in each one of you, and that’s why I think she was such an advocate for the LGBTQ community because she understood how she felt and how you felt.

“The thing that I miss most about talking with her just about every day is her optimism. And I want you to keep that alive.

“If you want to think about her, always stay optimistic and hopeful because that was one of her greatest gifts.”

The Parton family have been in the spotlight since Dolly’s passing. Her longtime manager, Danny Nozell, launched a lawsuit against the late star’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, and has since dropped it.

The lawsuit was against Seaver, son of Parton’s sister Cassie. Nozell and his lawyers also alleged Parton’s nephew posed a threat to her business empire following her passing. 

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