Dolly Parton on stage in 2025Dolly Parton’s family has announced that the singer-songwriter is to be laid to rest in a “small, private” funeral service.
On Monday night, it was announced that the country music megastar had died at the age of 80, after which her family paid tribute to “the global icon” and “inspiration”, and celebrated her “rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see”.
In their statement, they also explained: “At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family.
“Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com.”
They also requested that in lieu of flowers, donations are made to Dolly’s Imagination Library initiative in her memory.
Imagination Library was one of the achievements Dolly said she was most proud of in her lifetime.
Set up in 1994, the Imagination Library was a program intended to make sure all children had access to books.
“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy,” Dolly wrote on the initiative’s website.
“He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams. Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.
“In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over three million children.”
Following the news of Dolly’s death, her family announced that she had died following what they described as a “brief battle with cancer”.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,” they said.
“Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand. Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.”
Leading up to her death, the Jolene singer had planned for her nephew, Bryan Seaver, to be the one to break the news, a decision he recalled that “Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality”.
“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,” he said at the end of the video.
“Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly… Aunt Granny… Gigi… May God bless Dolly Parton and may God bless you all. She will always love you.”
Back in 2014, Dolly told Entertainment Weekly that she wanted the gospel standard If We Never Meet Again to be played at her funeral.
“That was my daddy’s favourite,” she said. “We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
