Dolly Parton has been laid to rest following a private funeral, her family has confirmed.
Her death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in an Instagram video posted on August 25. The musician’s publicist later confirmed her cancer diagnosis to the Associated Press but did not provide further details about her illness.
Dolly’s niece, Lainey Parton, shared a touching tribute to her aunt on August 29, confirming that the Queen of Country had been laid to rest the previous day.
“I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words,” Lainey wrote of her “Aunt Granny”.
“From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough. She never made my dreams feel too big or made me feel like I couldn’t do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.
“Most people can think of at least one bad memory with everyone in their family. I honestly can’t think of one with her.”
Lainey went on to thank fans and supporters for their love, ending her tribute with a final message to Dolly:
“Thank you for always believing in me, loving me, and making me feel like I could do anything.”
Dolly had previously made it clear that she wanted a “small, private service” attended by immediate family, according to a statement from her team.
The service was held at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, where she was buried next to Carl Dean, her husband of 60 years, who died in March 2025.
Aside from expressing her wish for a small service, Dolly had also revealed one major detail about her funeral arrangements more than a decade before her death.
“There’s a song called ‘If We Never Meet Again.’ It’s an old country-gospel church song that talks about if we never meet again this side of heaven, I will meet you on that beautiful shore,” she told Entertainment Weekly in a 2014 interview.
“‘Where the charming roses bloom forever and where separations come no more.’ That was my daddy’s favourite. We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
It is unclear whether the song was performed live at her funeral. Parton had previously performed alongside her goddaughter, pop star Miley Cyrus, on several occasions.
Source: Independent
