Country music icon Dolly Parton has been laid to rest beside her husband Carl Dean. Her funeral took place just days after passing amid “a brief battle with cancer.”
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As we previously shared on Tuesday (August 25), the 80-year-old legend’s nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced her passing on social media. Hours later, her representatives confirmed her cause of death.
Dolly’s death followed a “brief battle with cancer.” However, the type of cancer was not disclosed. Dolly’s reps said she was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on Friday (August 21), where she died four days later. Three days after her passing, she was laid to rest, beside her husband, Carl Dean. The two were married for 58 years before he died in March 2025 at age 82.
On Friday (August 28), Page Six reported that Dolly’s loved ones gathered at her Nashville burial site in Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum. At the time, a source said the gathering was for Dolly’s funeral. The source said, “Bryan was in charge of arrangements. It was a very simple ceremony [because] that’s all Dolly wanted.”
A day later, on Saturday (August 29), Dolly’s niece Lainey Mae Parton shared an emotional post on Instagram, confirming her aunt was “laid to rest.”
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While speaking on her auntie — who was known to her nieces and nephews as “Aunt Granny” — Lainey said:
“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. 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 @smokymountaindna 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. 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. 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. 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. 🤍”
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