Dolly Parton private funeral takes place as Jolene singer laid to rest alongside late husband

Her representatives confirmed that the singer died on Tuesday, August 25, following a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific type was not disclosed.

She spent her final days at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, surrounded by loved ones, having been admitted on August 21.

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Ms Parton was interred beside her husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 after nearly six decades of marriage.

A memorial plaque bearing both their names, featuring engravings of her childhood home in Sevier County, Tennessee, and intertwining wedding bands, had already been mounted at the site.

Her great-niece Lainey Parton confirmed the burial in an Instagram post on Saturday, sharing throwback photographs alongside a heartfelt message about the woman she called her “Aunt Granny.”

“From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough,” she wrote. “She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.”

Lainey recalled how Ms Parton, who never had children of her own, treated her extended family as if they were hers.

“She didn’t just tell me to chase my dreams, she helped me get there,” she added, describing how the singer had financially supported her through beauty school and helped launch her career.

“It still doesn’t feel real that she’s gone,” Lainey wrote. “I’m going to miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs, and just knowing she was there. I’d give anything to see her name pop up on my phone again.”

Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed in Ms Parton’s honour; it was confirmed on Friday.

The move followed a petition that garnered more than 160,000 signatures from fans eager to see the Tennessee-born star permanently commemorated in the city she helped define.

Musicians around the world have also marked her passing with on-stage tributes. Kacey Musgraves performed Here You Come Again at a concert in Boston, while Maisie Peters covered the same track at Reading Festival.

Jack White played Jolene during a London show, and Orville Peck delivered his own rendition of I Will Always Love You.

Olivia Rodrigo dedicated her duet with Sarah McLachlan at Daisy Chain Fields to the late singer.

Ms Parton’s goddaughter Miley Cyrus also paid tribute, writing that their “most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour and between our hearts.”

Several of Ms Parton’s recordings surged back into the UK charts in the wake of her death, with Jolene climbing to number nine in the singles chart on Friday.

The singer, born into poverty in rural Tennessee, became one of country music’s most celebrated figures, known for iconic tracks including 9 To 5 and I Will Always Love You. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986.

Her representatives asked that fans and friends wishing to pay their respects consider donating to the Imagination Library, Ms Parton’s book-gifting charity, which has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children worldwide.

Her philanthropic reach also extended to funding research that contributed to the development of a widely used vaccine.

Just four days before her death, Ms Parton told People magazine she still had “so many things” remaining on her bucket list.