Dolly Parton's Sister Says Some Family Didn't Know About Her Cancer Battle

Dolly Parton's sister Stella Parton says some of her relatives were caught off guard by her death ... because not everyone in the family knew she had cancer.

Stella told "CBS Mornings" in an interview with Gayle King airing Thursday ... "She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it. Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative." 

The 77-year-old made a good point ... the legendary singer just "did not want people sad."

This isn't the first time Dolly's sister has set the record straight on the music icon's death.

Putting the "stampede of endless misinformation" about Dolly's passing on blast, Stella said a "tremendous amount of AI and endless garbage" was being posted online.

However, she did take time to thank those who have reached out with "genuine" support.

Stella previously broke her silence on her sister's death just two days after it was announced.

She wrote in a touching social media post August 27 ... "My big sister Dolly got her wings this past Tuesday. If anyone gets to heaven I'm sure she made it right on time."

As we reported ... Dolly died August 25 at 80 following a private battle with cancer.