A day everybody hoped would never come.
I think everybody’s still in shock over the death of the legendary Dolly Parton, who passed away yesterday, August 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
In a statement from her team, it was confirmed that Dolly passed away at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center here in Nashville, with her nephew Bryan Seaver announcing her death on behalf of the family:
“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.”
The family announced that, at Dolly’s request, a small private service will be held for immediate family, and her nephew revealed to TMZ that Dolly will be buried “in her signature high heels and a comfortable cotton dress” in the mausoleum at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Tennessee, where her late husband Carl Dean is buried.
And as far back as 2014, Dolly already knew what song she wanted played at her funeral.
Dolly spoke about the sensitive subject during a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, first mentioning her classic “I Will Always Love You.” The song was obviously covered by Whitney Houston, who had passed away only two years before the interview and was played at her funeral:
“I’m sure they’ll be playing “I Will Always Love You” when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston. When they picked her coffin up and started in on that song, I started to cry, and I thought, “Oh my Lord.” That’s when it hit me that she was really gone.”
Dolly, though, had another song in mind for her own services – one that was played at her father’s funeral:
“There’s a song called “If We Never Meet Again.” It’s an old country-gospel church song that talks about if we never meet again this side of heaven, I will meet you on that beautiful shore. “Where the charming roses bloom forever and where separations come no more.” That was my daddy’s favorite. We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
“If We Never Meet Again (This Side Of Heaven)” was written by Alfred Brumley in 1945 and has been recorded by several artists including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and – fittingly – Porter Wagoner, Dolly’s longtime duet partner after she got her start on his television show early in her career.
Of course the thought of Dolly Parton’s funeral is one that everybody hoped would never come: She was larger than life, full of energy and spirit that made it feel like we’d have her around forever. But unfortunately, the sad reality of a world without Dolly is here now, and soon she’ll be laid to rest beside her longtime husband for the final time.
While we may not get to see the service, Dolly left behind clues of what it would look like. And I have no doubt that it’s going to be a fitting send off for someone who meant so much to so many people.
