LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Dolly Parton was laid to rest in a private family funeral in Nashville on Friday (Aug. 28). The “Jolene” singer was buried next to her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died in 2025 at 82. The late singer’s great niece, Lainey Parton, confirmed details about the private ceremony, writing on Instagram, “This is a really hard post for me to make. I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words.”
According to E!, the small funeral for the singer who died on Aug. 25 at age 80 following what was described as a brief battle with cancer was held at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville.
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While no further details were available about the service at press time, in announcing her death last week, Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver, revealed in a video that his aunt had a special request for how she should be buried. “Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy,” Seaver said. “He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”
In a 2014 interview with EW, Parton was asked what song she wanted to be played at her funeral, and while many expected her to pick the beloved “I Will Always Love You,” — the song she wrote and recorded and which later became a massive Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash for Whitney Houston — Parton chose another poignant song instead.
“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” she said at the time. But the tune Parton actually chose for her own funeral was “If We Never Meet Again,” an old country-gospel hymn that was her father’s favorite, which was performed at his funeral.
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“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 EW back then, quoting the lyric: “Where the charming roses bloom forever and where separations come no more.” Parton and Dean are interred in a mausoleum featuring a large plaque that had her name engraved on it before her death, according to People, alongside an engraved image of her childhood home in Sevier County, Tenn. and the couple’s marriage date alongside an image of intertwined wedding bands.
In addition to picking out that song, Parton also locked an unreleased song called “My Place in History” in a chestnut box at the Dollywood DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The tune was written in 2015, the same year the resort opened, and Parton’s wishes were that it be unveiled on what would have been her 100th birthday on Jan. 19, 2046.
While fans could not pay their respects in person, Parton’s team said if admirers wanted to participate they could tag her on social media or share a donation to her book-gifting nonprofit, Imagination Library.
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The Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral home’s memorial for the singer read: “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, kindness, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
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Parton was honored by her fellow country stars and peers at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (Aug. 29), where Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll, Kathy Mattea, Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle, Channing Wilson and Parton’s niece, Jada Star took the stage at the Nashville institution that inducted Parton in 1969. It was just the latest in a flood of tributes that have poured in since the beloved singer’s death last week in an outpouring of love for a one-of-a-kind performer whose career transcended music and touched millions around the world.
