The family of late country music icon Dolly Parton has appealed to fans and social media users to show greater sensitivity following the singer’s death, warning against the spread of fake artificial intelligence-generated content.
Parton’s sister, Stella Parton, said the family had been forced to contend with a flood of AI-generated images, songs, videos and other material since the legendary singer died on August 25 at the age of 80.
In an Instagram post, Stella thanked those who had offered genuine support to the family but said the volume of AI-generated material and what she described as “endless garbage” had been difficult to deal with while they mourned.
She urged the public to approach the death with compassion rather than turning the occasion into an opportunity for online commentary, speculation or the creation of fabricated tributes.
“Every human being experiences pain and loss in life and my family is no different,” she wrote, stressing that public figures and their relatives also experience grief despite living their lives in the public eye.
Stella said the family had faced “incredible pressure and insensitivity from strangers” because of the public nature of their lives.
She also warned that those exploiting the deaths and tragedies of others through misinformation would eventually move on to another story, leaving families to deal with the consequences.
Her comments come amid a growing wave of AI-generated tributes involving deceased celebrities. Since Parton’s death, numerous fabricated songs, images and videos featuring the singer have circulated online, with some attracting significant public attention despite being labelled as AI-generated.
Among the material was an AI-generated image shared by US President Donald Trump showing himself alongside Parton. Other fabricated content included images portraying Parton in ways that sparked criticism from social media users.
A YouTube video presented as a fan-made tribute in the style of Miley Cyrus has also attracted more than 1.5 million views. Although the video carries an AI label and states that it is not an official release by Cyrus or Parton’s representatives, many viewers appeared to mistake it for an authentic tribute.
Similar AI-generated material in the style of singers Pink and Celine Dion has also gained widespread attention online.
The controversy has revived wider concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to recreate the voices, images and likenesses of deceased public figures, particularly at moments when their families are grieving.
Stella asked the public to instead view her sister’s life as an example of tolerance and mutual respect.
“It’s not about the most clever comments, fake AI garbage or snarky tweets,” she said.
Dolly Parton herself had previously expressed concern about AI’s potential impact on creative professionals. In a 2023 interview, she said she believed the technology could be beneficial in areas such as science and medicine but was worried about its ability to replace human creativity.
She argued that AI should not be used to replace human voices, writing or the identity of individuals, emphasising the importance of leaving behind an authentic body of work.
