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Here’s What Dolly Parton’s Siblings Are Up to Today

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Dolly Parton grew up as one of a dozen siblings living in a small cabin near the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Although she can rattle off each of their names in order at the drop of hat (as any good sis should), even her biggest fans would struggle to keep track of such a huge brood!

Dolly Parton’s Siblings Birth Order

The country queen’s official website lists the Parton family brothers and sisters from youngest to oldest as:

  1. Willadeene
  2. David Wilburn
  3. Coy Denver
  4. Dolly Rebecca
  5. Bobby Lee
  6. Stella Mae
  7. Cassie Nan
  8. Randel Huston “Randy”
  9. Larry Gerald
  10. Estel Floyd and Freida Estelle (twins)
  11. Rachel Ann

If you’re counting, that’s six boys and six girls, plus their parents. Sadly, her little brother Larry passed away not long after his birth. The tragic loss was depicted in the 2015 TV movie based on Dolly’s youth, Coat of Many Colors ($2.99, Amazon Prime Video).

“My mother, through the years, when we were born, since there were so many of us, used to say, ‘This one is gonna be your baby,'” Dolly explained around the time of the film’s release. “That just meant that you got to take extra care of it. You have got to get up with it at night and rock it back and forth. This particular baby that passed away in the movie was my baby.” It’s no wonder the loss hit Dolly so hard, but we’re sure she and the rest of her family have always held him in their hearts.

You can see Dolly with the rest of her siblings (and both parents) in the sweet throwback photo below:

Standing (left to right): Randy, David, Willadeene, Rachel, Dolly, Avie Lee, Robert Lee
Seated (left to right): Cassie, Stella, Denver, Frieda, Floyd, Bobby

It’s clear no matter how famous Dolly got over the years, her family was always the most important part of her life. She also never shied away from talking about her humble beginnings — even if the stories were far from glamorous (and we aren’t just talking about what Dolly looks like without a wig).

“The kids peed on me every night. There was so many of us, when we slept it was three or four in a bed,” Dolly explained with a good-natured chuckle in a resurfaced tape of her 1978 interview with Playboy magazine. “That was the only warm thing we knew in the wintertime. I mean, that was almost a pleasure get peed on.”  

There’s got to be a lot of love between the brothers and sisters for her to be able to crack jokes like that! Keep scrolling to learn more about Dolly’s family.

Photos of Dolly Parton’s Siblings

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