Dolly Parton laid to rest in private funeral

Lainey Mae Parton wrote on Instagram, “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.”

Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 after “bravely facing a brief battle with cancer,” her publicist said, according to ABC News.

She was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on Aug. 21. She died there four days after being admitted, People magazine reported. She was also dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death.

Dolly Parton had asked for a private service but wanted friends and fans to pay their respects on social media by tagging her or donating to her Imagination Library, People reported.

The publication surmised that the “I Will Always Love You” singer/songwriter was laid to rest next to her husband Carl Dean at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville. Dean died in March 2025. The mausoleum where he was interred also included a plaque to Dolly. It also had engravings of two homes, including her childhood home in Sevier County, Tennessee, their marriage date and intertwining wedding rings.

Grand Ole Opry tribute

The “Jolene” singer was honored with countless tributes, including the Grand Ole Opry, which dedicated its Aug. 29 show to her.

During the tribute, another niece, Jada Star, spoke on behalf of the Parton family and performed “The Orchard,” ABC News reported.

Kathy Mattea performed “Jolene” while Carley Pearce, who worked as a performer at Dollywood as a teenager, performed “Those Memories of You.”

Several performers, including Jelly Roll, sang “9 to 5″ later in the evening, which ended with a videotaped performance from Dolly Parton herself, singing her signature song “I Will Always Love You.”