Dolly Parton will be remembered with a small and private funeral following her death at age 80.
According to Page Six, Parton’s publicity team said the country music legend had personally requested “a small, private service for immediate family.”
TMZ reported that the service is expected to take place in Nashville, Tennessee, in the coming days. Only Parton’s closest family members and loved ones are expected to attend.
Parton will reportedly be buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum beside her longtime husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82. TMZ also reported that Parton will be laid to rest wearing her signature high heels.
Instead of sending flowers, Parton’s family is asking people to donate to her Imagination Library. Parton founded the program in 1995 to provide free books to young children. What began in her home county in Tennessee eventually grew into a major international literacy program that has distributed hundreds of millions of books.
Fans around the world are also being encouraged to remember Parton by sharing tributes on social media or leaving messages through her official website.
A Special Final Request
Parton’s nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, revealed another personal request the singer reportedly made before her death.
According to Seaver, Parton wanted to be laid to rest in a bed of soft cotton. He explained that after spending much of her life dressed in elaborate rhinestone-covered outfits, she wanted her final resting place to be comfortable.
Seaver also said Parton had spoken to him years earlier about how she wanted her death announced. At the time, he said, it was difficult to imagine that day eventually arriving.
Health Problems Before Her Death
Parton died Tuesday, Aug. 25, just days after she was reportedly hospitalized in Nashville.
In the months before her death, the singer had experienced several health problems and canceled some public appearances. She had previously dealt with kidney stones and acknowledged that she had neglected some of her own health while caring for Dean.
Parton told People shortly before her death that she had been dealing with health problems she had not paid enough attention to while her husband was ill.
Dean’s death had also been extremely difficult for her. The famously private couple had been married for nearly 60 years.
From Tennessee to Country Music Royalty
Parton was born Jan. 19, 1946, in Sevier County, Tennessee, and grew up as one of 12 children in a poor family in the Smoky Mountains.
Her humble childhood later inspired some of her most personal music.
After graduating from high school, Parton moved to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. Her big break came when she joined Porter Wagoner’s television show in 1967. She soon became one of country music’s most recognizable performers.
Over the decades, Parton recorded classics including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” Whitney Houston later turned “I Will Always Love You” into one of the biggest-selling singles of all time.
Parton also found success in Hollywood, appearing in movies including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias.
Beyond entertainment, she became known for her charity work, particularly her efforts to improve childhood literacy through the Imagination Library.
Parton remained closely connected to her Tennessee roots throughout her life. Dollywood, the theme park bearing her name in Pigeon Forge, became one of the region’s biggest attractions.
Despite her worldwide fame, Parton often spoke about the importance of family, faith, her childhood and her home state.
Now, after decades of performing for millions of people around the world, her final goodbye is expected to be much different from the larger-than-life career she enjoyed.
At her own request, Dolly Parton’s funeral will be a quiet and private gathering surrounded by the people closest to her.
