Dolly Parton was honoured at the Grand Ole Opry in an emotional celebration nearly a week after the Country music legend's death aged 80. The Opry dedicated its regularly scheduled Saturday night show to her, marking her career and impact on the genre.
A portion of every ticket sold for the show was set to be donated to Parton's Imagination Library, a literacy program set up by the star. Among those paying tribute with a performance on the night was Carly Pearce, who got her start at Dollywood and was personally invited by Dolly to become an Opry member in 2021. Others performing included Ketch Secor, Molly Tuttle and Dan Tyminski. Kathy Mattea also performed Dolly's hit Jolene in her memory.
UK chart success
It comes as another of her hit tunes is on course to reach number one in the UK chart for the first time. The evergreen anthem, 9-5, recently flew up to number 12, showcasing a 350% week-on-week increase according to official chart records. It is anticipated to keep rising and bag the superstar with her maiden chart-topper when the next official chart is confirmed.
The icon also scored her first number one on the Official Album Downloads chart this weekend as 'The Very Best Of' reentered at the top spot. The compilation record had never previously placed in the top 10, with the highest previous position being number 21.
Private funeral revealed
Dolly's niece has revealed her aunt has been laid to rest next to husband Carl Dean in a private funeral. The country legend's niece Lainey Mae Parton revealed the update in an emotional post on Instagram. Alongside photos with the legendary singer, Lainey Mae said: "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."
Explaining what a source of support Dolly was to her, Lainey went on: "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."
She ended her lengthy post by saying: "Thank you to everyone who has reached out, sent messages, flowers to my house, or done any of the little things to show me love. I've noticed every single one, and they've meant more than you know. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to call her my granny. Thank you for always believing in me, loving me, and making me feel like I could do anything. I love you, Granny. Always."
