Heartsick Dolly Parton is hiding a secret shame — her country kin are painful embarrassments caught up in disgraceful booze, drugs and sex scandals.

But her fans know nothing about the skeletons in the family closet — because the 71-year-old country queen has shelled out chunks of her $500 million fortune to save redneck relatives and hush up any criminal antics, insiders say.

"Dolly has tried her best to keep the truth about her family's dark and criminal past a secret," says an insider