Millions of people knew Dolly Parton as a country music legend.

To her younger sister Freida, however, Dolly was something much more personal.

In an emotional tribute following Dolly’s death, Freida Parton has revealed a part of their family story that many longtime fans never knew.

Dolly didn’t simply grow up alongside Freida. For several crucial years, she helped raise her.

Freida explained that while the rest of the world saw a superstar, she knew someone she affectionately called her “Dolly Momma.”

The sisters were separated by more than a decade in age, and when Freida reached her teenage years, Dolly stepped into a much bigger role in her life.

According to Freida, Dolly helped raise her from the ages of 13 to 18.

It’s a remarkable detail considering what was happening in Dolly’s own life during those years.

By then, the young woman who had grown up in a large family in rural Tennessee was building the career that would eventually make her one of the most recognizable entertainers in America.

But behind the rhinestones, television appearances and hit records, Dolly was apparently still looking after the people who had known her long before the world did.

Freida’s memories go back even further.

She remembered being a little girl and sharing something surprisingly ordinary with her famous older sister:

They were both afraid of the dark.

Freida recalled Dolly climbing into bed with her when they were young because neither sister wanted to be alone in the darkness.

It’s the kind of small family memory that rarely appears in the story of a global superstar.

And that’s exactly what makes Freida’s tribute so revealing.

To audiences, Dolly became the woman behind “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.”

To Freida, she remained the big sister who comforted her as a child and later became a mother figure during some of the most important years of her life.

Their relationship wasn’t perfect.

Freida openly acknowledged that the sisters had arguments and disagreements over the years.

But through the highs and lows, she said one thing never changed:

She never stopped loving Dolly.

Now, as the Parton family faces life without her, Freida says she’s trying to live in the way she believes Dolly would have wanted.

That means continuing to smile, moving forward and sharing the same generosity and love Dolly gave to others.

And Freida isn’t finished honoring her sister.

She revealed that she is already working on something special in Dolly’s memory, describing it as a way of keeping a little piece of her “Dolly Momma” close while also sharing it with the fans who loved her.

She hasn’t revealed exactly what the project will be.

For now, though, perhaps the most powerful revelation isn’t about Dolly Parton the superstar at all.

It’s about Dolly the sister.

The young woman who was building an extraordinary career while still finding time to help raise a teenage girl back home.

America knew Dolly Parton for decades.

But Freida knew her as “Dolly Momma.”