Dolly Parton’s sister asks people to stop publishing the legendary singer’s AI

The Internet has been flooded with countless tributes to Dolly Parton since her death on August 25 at the age of 80. But some of the images, videos and songs that have been shared online are not Dolly’s at all. This is artificial intelligence garbage, and the artist’s sister, Stella Parton, is upset about it all.

“First, let me say thank you to those of you who have shown ‘sincere’ support and love during this time of our family loss. We will be okay in time, but we will each grieve in our own way,” Stella Parton wrote in an Instagram post, placing scare quotes around the word “sincere.”

She went on to write about how every family experiences pain and loss in their lives, and the Parton family is no exception. But she said what can make the loss unique is when someone is so important in the public imagination.

“Unfortunately, because of the way we have lived our lives in the public eye, we have no choice but to be subjected to incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers,” Stella Parton wrote. “There is a huge amount of AI and endless garbage being published every day, and it’s hard to absorb or ignore.”

She went on to write, “Over time, those who exploit the loss and tragedies of others on a daily basis will move on to the next stream of endless misinformation.”

It’s unclear whether there was a particular AI video, song or image that annoyed the singer’s sister the most. She didn’t elaborate. But there’s no shortage of AI trash featuring Dolly on the Internet.

One of the most prominent examples came from President Donald Trump, who posted a fake image of himself with Dolly Parton two days after her death. Trump and Parton have never been photographed together, and there appears to be no evidence that they ever dated in real life. Trump ordered flags to be flown in her honor, although he never mentioned in his Truth Social post that they ever dated, which he likely would have done if it had actually happened.

Another particularly cursed AI monster revealed that Dolly Parton had arrived in heaven to find Tupac, Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe. The last frame of the video also features George Floyd and Charlie Kirk. For some reason.

According to an interview she gave to British news publication Metro in 2023, Dolly was not in favor of AI.

“I hope that no one can ever replicate me or what I do. AI is a scary thing,” Parton said at the time. “I’m sure it’s good for scientists or medicine. But when it comes to trying to copy a person and everything he is, it doesn’t seem right to me. It’s too much.”

Dolly went on to note that even people working in AI are “scared by it” and said she is keeping a close eye on the technology.

“I’m sure they can do something with me and other artists. That’s one of the reasons why we have big walkouts here with the Actors Guild and the Writers Guild. Nobody wants to be duplicated. Everybody wants to feel like the talent they have is theirs. I’m following artificial intelligence,” Parton said.

Unfortunately, people copied her after her death. Even if it’s bad. One YouTube video mixes AI versions of Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton to create a song that never existed. Unfortunately, the comments are full of people who think this is a “wonderful tribute” to Parton.

Another Instagram video shows AI Dolly driving to heaven, with an absolutely terrifying animation of her car apparently “driving” in the wrong direction. Many fans probably view this kind of thing as a tribute to the legendary singer, but it clearly annoys her surviving family.

Robin Williams’ daughter has asked people to stop creating artificial images of the late actor in 2025, when it became commonplace. Williams died in 2014, but after AI-powered video-making tools went mainstream in 2025, people began creating AI-powered videos of deceased celebrities, making it difficult for family members to watch.

According to Newsweek, scammers are also using Dolly Parton’s image for various scams, which is not surprising. Allure Security identified social media scams using Parton’s image in the days following her death, and celebrity impersonation scams are incredibly common. Parton’s work with charities would make her an attractive target for scammers looking to raise money by associating themselves with her charity work.

Dolly Parton was an incredible person in every way. It’s easy to see why her family finds these things so disgusting. The AI ​​versions of Dolly are the antithesis of a wonderful tribute. It’s the ugliness of what made her special. And anyone who prefers AI trash to Dolly when she left humanity with so much work to do really needs to take a hard look in the mirror.