Stella Parton, 77, is the younger sister of Dolly Parton, 80. They are part of a family that contained twelve children. Stella started out performing when she was only seven, appearing on a TV program with Dolly, then debuting on the radio two years later.
In 1957, Stella released the song “I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight,” which was her biggest hit. She went on to record over 20 albums throughout her career.
For the first time in nearly 10 years, Stella is releasing new music that has been inspired by the passing of her siblings. Over the last few years, she has lost three of her brothers—David, Randy, and Floyd.
Related: Dolly Parton Won’t Go on Dollywood Rides: ‘Any Number of Things Could Happen to Me on Those Rides’
When speaking with PEOPLE, Stella said, “Growing up with so many siblings, we were very emotionally connected, and still are in a real emotional way. It’s a soul connection. So this whole thing was kind of like emotional paralysis for me in a strange sort of way. Grief has really been a writer’s block for me.”
She went on to speak about her recent cover of “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King. “It says everything that Floyd and I had said to one another and had been through together,” she explained. “Music has always been therapy. It’s like a lifeblood. When you grow up in the songwriting family, that’s kind of what you do.”
She continued, “He was so attached to me. And then as I was raising my own son, he would always come through for me if I needed his help. He always stood by me. I always like to say that I knew of all my siblings, Floyd would be the one that would come and help me hide the body. And he knew that I would do the same for him.”
Stella revealed that she spent a lot of time looking out for her siblings, calling herself a second mom to Floyd. Her last album, Survivor, came out months before his death in 2018, and she lost inspiration for a while. However, recording covers helped her gain inspiration again.
Related: Rock and Roll Legend Keith Richards, 82, Reveals the Surprising Bad Habit He Finally Quit
Stella added, “Losing your parents is one thing… but that’s the natural progression of life. You accept and embrace that change from having parents to being an orphan. But you don’t accept that as easily with a sibling. Siblings are closer than anyone, really, because you’ve had them with you your whole life. I didn’t realize it would be such a painful experience.”
Her new album, Nostalgia, which will contain all cover songs, will be released later this year.
