Dolly Parton has been laid to rest next to her husband Carl Dean following a private funeral service held in Nashville on Friday afternoon, her family has confirmed. The country legend's niece, Lainey Mae Parton, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post accompanied by photos of the singer, known for hits including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You.
Niece's Emotional Tribute to 'Aunt Granny'
In the caption, Lainey revealed that she and other younger family members referred to Dolly as 'Aunt Granny,' writing: "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."
She continued: "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."
Noting that because her aunt was unable to have children of her own, she made all her nieces and nephews feel like hers, the post continued: "Because she couldn't have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers. She loved us that way, and I'll forever be grateful for that."
Memories of Singing and Support
Recalling a time she sang with Dolly on stage, Lainey said: "One memory I'll always hold on to is when she asked me to sing with her on her Smoky Mountain DNA album. I was a freshman in high school and SO nervous. But she had a way of making me feel like nothing bad could happen. She made me feel safe, confident, and like I belonged right there beside her."
She added: "As I got older, she continued to believe in me. When I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, she never questioned why I wasn't going to college. She told me she couldn't see me doing anything else. She financially supported me through school and helped me get my career started. She didn't just tell me to chase my dreams, she helped me get there."
Lainey expressed gratitude for the opportunities she shared with her aunt, including appearing in a movie with her, and said it "still doesn't feel real" that she is gone. She wrote: "I'm going to miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs, and just knowing she was there. I'm even going to miss those 4 AM calls, and I'd give anything to see her name pop up on my phone again."
Private Service and Final Wishes
Dolly died on Tuesday, August 25, following what her representatives described as a "brief battle" with cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. Her family announced that, at her request, a small, private service would be held for immediate family only.
Relatives were seen arriving at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville on Friday morning, where the service took place. The cemetery is the resting place of several figures connected to country music, including Dolly's longtime collaborator Porter Wagoner and her friend Tammy Wynette. Her husband Carl's parents are also buried there.
She is thought to have been laid to rest in a comfortable cotton dress and her trademark high heels. Her nephew Bryan previously revealed: "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."
Years before her death, Dolly said she wanted the country gospel song If We Never Meet Again to be played at her funeral. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2014, she shared: "That was my daddy's favourite. We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine."
Dolly's family asked well-wishers not to send flowers and instead encouraged donations to her Imagination Library, the literacy programme she founded in 1995 that provides free books to young children. Fans around the world have been invited to leave messages in Dolly's memory online.
