A tragic death for the world, but more importantly, her family.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over a week since the queen of country music, Dolly Parton, passed away at 80 years old in Nashville, Tennessee. She is of course a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully in her home state.
Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000). Dolly had been dealing with some major health issues since last year, and her team shared the following statement about her death:
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.
Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
At Dolly’s request, a small private service was held for immediate family a few days ago, and her nephew previously 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.
It was later revealed that she died after a “brief battle with cancer,” and while the world did know she had been dealing with health issues since last year, it was kept very much under wraps how serious it became, which is understandable and completely private for Dolly and her family.
And one of Dolly’s nieces, Jada Star, who is the daughter of Dolly’s younger sister Freida, gave an interview to Extra TV about the passing of her aunt, saying it’s of course been “difficult and surreal” in the week since her passing. But, their family has been very appreciative of all of the tributes, and she says it has helped them a lot through these hard times:
“It’s been really difficult and very surreal. I think we all share that feeling. It’s also been really bittersweet because of this beautiful opportunity we’ve had to see how much the whole world loves her. So all of these tributes have helped so much to help us all through it.”
Jada also explained that it was a “shock” that her aunt died last Tuesday, and she had intentionally kept all of her health issues private because she didn’t “want to worry anybody”:
“She would also tell us to start drying it up, and start trying to get back to work, and love each other real hard. She was just a trip. Pardon me, I’m sorry, I got a little choked up. You know, we kind of kept all that stuff real private. And so she never wanted to worry anybody, so I think it was just a shock on Tuesday.”
Even though they knew Dolly was sick, you’re never prepared for your family member to go, and I can only imagine how sad they have all been over losing someone so special to their family.
Jada said that if she could say one more thing to her aunt Dolly, she would thank her for everything she’s done for her and tell her how much she loved her:
“I think I would just say, thank you so much, and I love you so much, and I know you’re okay.”
I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get over Dolly being gone, but the light and legacy she left behind will live on forever.
Jada was featured on the 2024 Parton family album, Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables, on a song with Dolly called “The Orchard”:
