Dolly Parton’s Funeral Plans Revealed Following Her Death at 80

Dolly Parton will be remembered at a small, private funeral attended by immediate family following her death at age 80.

The country music legend’s publicity team confirmed Tuesday that the intimate service was being held at Parton’s request.

According to TMZ, the ceremony is being planned in Nashville, Tennessee, in the coming days, with only her closest relatives and loved ones expected to attend.

Parton will reportedly be buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum beside her husband, Carl Dean, wearing the signature high heels that became part of her unmistakable image.

Family requests donations instead of flowers

Parton’s representatives said the family is asking mourners not to send flowers. Instead, they encouraged donations to Imagination Library, the singer’s free book-gifting program.

Her team also invited “fans and friends from around the world” to honor Parton by tagging her on social media or leaving a message through her official website.

A final request shared by her nephew

Parton died Tuesday, five days after she was reportedly hospitalized in Nashville with kidney and autoimmune issues.

While announcing her death, her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, revealed that Parton had asked to be laid to rest in a “beautiful bed of plush cotton.”

“After a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest,” Seaver said.

He explained that Parton had asked him years earlier to make the video announcement, long before he had fully understood that he would one day have to fulfill the request.

Health problems followed the loss of Carl Dean

Only days before her death, Parton said she had been “dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to” while caring for Dean.

“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she told People.

Dean died in March 2025 at age 82 after an unspecified prolonged illness. During the past year, Parton also missed several appearances at Dollywood because of health problems, including kidney stones.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in May 2025, two months after her husband’s death, Parton described the difficulty of adjusting to life without her longtime partner.

“Of course I miss him. I’m having to really go through a lot trying to figure out how to be without him because I was with him for so long,” she said.

The Grammy Award winner also found some comfort in knowing that Dean was no longer suffering.

“He did suffer a lot for the last few years, and there’s a part of me that’s happy he’s at peace and at rest,” Parton said.