Dolly Parton spent six decades covered in rhinestones, sequins, and outfits that weighed as much as her own legend.
That is why her final request surprised everyone so much. Her nephew Bryan Seaver, who was her head of security for more than twenty years, said that the singer asked to rest in “a beautiful bed of soft cotton”, because after so much sparkle, she deserved real comfort.
Parton died on August 25, 2026, at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 80. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Her funeral will be private, for close family members only, just as she requested.
Instead of flowers, her family suggested donations to the Imagination Library, the program Dolly created to give books to children around the world.
Just one year earlier, she had lost Carl Thomas Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years. Two love stories that ended almost at the same time.