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Dolly Parton has been laid to rest during a private ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.
The beloved country legend “died peacefully” on August 25, an official announcement confirmed last week. She was 80. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, also confirmed Dolly Parton’s passing in a message from the family that he posted on her social media accounts. He said in that video, in part, that Dolly Parton wanted 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.” Dolly Parton had requested “a small, private service” for her immediate family.
Dolly Parton’s niece, Lainey Parton, shared an emotional tribute on Instagram on Saturday (August 29), one day after her “granny” was laid to rest.
“This is a really hard post for me to make,” Lainey Parton wrote. “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. 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.
“One memory I’ll always hold onto is when she asked me to sing with her on her [Smoky Mountain DNA] album,” she continued. “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. 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.
“I’m so thankful I said yes to the opportunities and memories I got to share with her as my Aunt Dolly, including being in a movie with her. I’m so glad I have those moments to look back on now. I have things I can watch, hear, and hold onto when I miss her,” Lainey Parton wrote. “It still doesn’t feel real that she’s gone. 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.
“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,” she said. “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. 🤍”
Lainey Parton is one of the latest family members to share a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, along with many others in the country music community and beyond. Representatives for the beloved global superstar confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement last week that Dolly Parton died surrounded by loved ones “after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer.”
Dolly Parton is laid to rest next to her late husband, Carl Dean. She met Dean on her first day living in Nashville, where she’d moved from her East Tennessee home to pursue her dreams in music. The couple met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat, and said “I do” on May 30, 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. Dean died in March 2025. He was 82. Dolly Parton previously said of her relationship with Dean, “he’s hilarious — and I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years. We love each other. We respect each other. But we have a lot of fun.”
Dolly Parton’s obituary notes that she’s preceded in death by her beloved husband, “her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000). …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. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”