Why Dolly Parton crossed every divide
In a divided country, Dolly Parton won admiration from both sides. What was her secret?
Dolly Parton has been privately laid to rest, a member of her family has confirmed.
Lainey Mae Parton, niece of the “Jolene” singer, shared a tribute to the country music icon on Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 29. She wrote that she waited to make the post until after Parton “was laid to rest yesterday.”
“It still doesn’t feel real that she’s gone,” her niece 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.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Parton’s estate for confirmation.
Representatives for the country music icon previously confirmed that “at Dolly’s request, a small, private service” would be held for immediate family. Details about the service have not been publicly released. The family asked for donations to be made to Parton’s Imagination Library, which gifts free books to children from birth to age 5, in lieu of flowers.
Parton died on Aug. 25, at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville after “facing a brief battle with cancer,” her representatives previously confirmed. She was 80.
Parton’s cancer diagnosis was not publicly known prior to her death, though she had been grappling with numerous health issues in the last year of her life, including problems with her immune and digestive systems. She canceled a public appearance at Dollywood on Aug. 14, saying her doctor advised her not to travel because she was dizzy and dehydrated.
Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver confirmed to TMZ that she would be buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, next to her late husband Carl Dean, who died in 2025.
Seaver announced Parton’s death on Aug. 25 in a social media video, which he said was “something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.”
“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” he said. “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”
Parton came from a large family and was the fourth oldest of six brothers and six sisters. She was married to Carl Dean for almost 60 years, from 1966 until his death in 2025.
In her Instagram tribute, Lainey Mae Parton wrote that the singer “believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself,” adding that she “honestly can’t think of one” bad memory with her. “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.”
She also reflected on singing with Parton on her 2024 album “Smoky Mountain DNA,” recalling, “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.”
“When I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, she never questioned why I wasn’t going to college,” the tribute noted. “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.”
Contributing: Saman Shafiq, Clare Mulroy and Anthony Robledo