Iconic country star, philanthropist and actor Dolly Parton has been laid to rest, according to a social media post from her niece.
Lainey Parton shared an emotional tribute on Instagram to her βgrannyβ after the private Aug. 28 ceremony. In the moving post, Lainey Parton described her famous aunt, who died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80, as a kind individual who treated her as her own child.
βThis 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,β Lainey Parton wrote. βFrom 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 couldnβt do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.β
Lainey Parton continued, saying that she βcanβt think ofβ a single bad memory of her aunt.
βBecause she couldnβt have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers,β Lainey Parton wrote in the post. βShe loved us that way, and Iβll forever be grateful for that.β
Dolly Parton died after βa brief battle with cancerβ at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, according to a statement from her estate. In a video message posted on the singerβs Instagram, her nephew Bryan Seaver shared that Dolly Parton had requested a simple burial.
βDolly was a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil, she farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants 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,β Seaver said in the video.
βRest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all,β he added. βShe will always love you.β
In Lainey Partonβs social media post, the niece looked back on a warm memory she had of Dolly Parton, who had asked her to sing on the 2024 album βSmoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables.β
βI was a freshman in high school and SO nervous. But she had a way of making me feel like nothing bad could happen,β Lainey Parton recounted. βShe made me feel safe, confident, and like I belonged right there beside her.As I got older, she continued to believe in me.β
Lainey Parton also described how her aunt was supportive of her decision to go to beauty school.
βWhen I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, she never questioned why I wasnβt going to college. She told me she couldnβt see me doing anything else,β she wrote. βShe financially supported me through school and helped me get my career started. She didnβt just tell me to chase my dreams, she helped me get there.β
Lainey Parton added that the loss still βdoesnβt feel real,β but thanked those who have reached out in support of the family.
βIβm going to miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs, and just knowing she was there. Iβm even going to miss those 4 AM calls, and Iβd give anything to see her name pop up on my phone again,β she wrote. βI feel incredibly lucky that I got to call her my granny.β
Lainey Parton concluded with a message to her late aunt.
βThank you for always believing in me, loving me, and making me feel like I could do anything.I love you, Granny. Always. π€β she wrote.
Dolly Partonβs death has sent shockwaves across the country. The beloved star was known for her philanthropy just as much as she was for her music. On Aug. 28, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee shared that he is partnering with the Nashville International Airport to rename the facility after Parton.
βAt a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our stateβs favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dollyβs music, generosity, faith, and kindness,β Lee wrote in a press release.