On the 25th August 2026, people around the world were either going to bed or waking up to the sad news that country icon Dolly Parton had passed away. After Dolly’s family made this news public, the internet erupted as influencers spread misinformation about Dolly, and President Trump created an AI-generated image of Dolly walking around the White House with him, their arms linked. Many use to and still live by the idea of not speaking ill of the dead, while others are using this time of grief to create AI images and spread misinformation.
President Trump used Dolly’s death as a way to get himself into the spotlight by producing an AI image of himself with Dolly (the image is above). These images may appear to be a way to honour the person who has passed away, but they do the opposite. President Trump faced backlash from many Dolly fans for this AI image:
“Trump’s AI image was ‘heartless and brainless” (Mouriquand, 2026)
We need to stop making it acceptable to post AI images and spread misinformation about people. At this time, we need to call out anyone who is using this in the spotlight. I feel for Dolly’s family and friends because they knew her personally and would recognise these stories as fake. As a fan, I wouldn’t know that Dolly didn’t visit the White House, so the image might seem plausible to me. Dolly’s sister, Stella, made this comment about the misinformation being spread:
“Stella Parton, publicly slammed the “endless misinformation” and “snarky tweets” for causing immense pressure during a time of personal loss.” ( Lyall, 2026)
Before sharing an image or a story you find about Dolly, use a fact checker to check if the story or image is real. One way to remember Dolly is to talk about her music and the great things she did in her local community and around the world. One thing you could talk about is Dolly’s literature program ‘Imaginative’ that helped many children around the world..
When the AI-generated images and misinformation stories are long forgotten, Dolly’s true image will live on in her music and in the hearts of her fans. Please leave a comment telling us how you will choose to remember the country icon.
Debbie Choo 
Bethany Miguel 
Tarkyn Sharples