Dolly Parton’s Sister Freida Shares Emotional Tribute After Her Death: “She Was My Dolly Momma”
By Alexus Mosley
Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
To the world, Dolly Parton was a country music icon. To her younger sister Freida Parton, she was simply her “Dolly Momma.”
Days after Dolly’s death on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer, Freida shared an emotional tribute to her older sister, offering fans a glimpse at the woman behind the rhinestones, wigs and superstar persona.
“Thank you all for bearing with me as I mourn the death of my big sister,” Freida wrote in an Aug. 30 Facebook post. “I know to the entire world, she was a superstar, but to me, she was my Dolly Momma.”
Freida, 69, remembered a relationship that stretched far beyond sisterhood.
She recalled Dolly climbing into bed with her when they were children because they were both afraid of the dark. Later, Dolly stepped into a much bigger role in her younger sister’s life. According to Freida, Dolly helped raise her between the ages of 13 and 18, effectively becoming another mother figure during her teenage years.
Of course, there were some decidedly Dolly moments, too. Freida recalled her sister trying to persuade her to wear Dolly’s famous wigs while performing at Dollywood, advice she jokingly admitted she chose not to follow. It’s the kind of small memory that feels especially poignant now. Dolly was still a big sister giving unsolicited beauty advice.
Their relationship wasn’t always perfect, and Freida didn’t pretend that it was. She acknowledged that the sisters experienced arguments and disagreements over the years, as siblings often do. But those moments never changed the love between them. “Even through all the highs and lows, and all the laughter and tears, I never stopped loving her,” she wrote.
Freida had previously asked fans to pray for Dolly. Now, she is asking them to extend those prayers to the family she leaves behind. As the Parton family navigates what Freida described as an “insurmountable loss,” she said there could never be anyone capable of replacing Dolly in their hearts.
For Freida, moving forward now means trying to carry some of her sister’s spirit with her. She believes Dolly would want her to continue smiling and sharing the same love that the singer so freely gave to other people, even on the days when doing so feels impossible.
Freida also revealed that she is working on something “very special” for Dolly’s fans, though she stopped short of revealing exactly what the project will be. She described it as a way to keep a piece of her “Dolly Momma” close while sharing her with the millions of people who loved her, too.
The tribute came shortly after Dolly was laid to rest during a private funeral attended by immediate family. The intimate service was held Aug. 28 at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, where Dolly was buried beside Carl Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years.
For fans, Dolly Parton leaves behind decades of songs, movies, rhinestones and unforgettable one-liners.
For Freida, the memories are much simpler. A sister who was afraid of the dark. A woman who helped raise her. A few arguments along the way. And, of course, those wigs.
Her Dolly Momma