Dolly Parton’s family and closest loved ones were seen arriving Friday morning at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, the burial site chosen for the country music legend.
Among the small group of mourners was Parton’s nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, who confirmed Tuesday that the beloved entertainer had died at age 80.
Seaver also revealed that Parton would be laid to rest wearing high heels, in the same mausoleum where her husband of more than 50 years, Carl Dean, is interred.
According to family insiders, a private memorial service for close relatives and friends was expected to take place in Nashville in the days following her death.
It was not immediately clear whether Parton was buried during Friday’s gathering. Those in attendance were seen arriving in colorful clothing rather than traditional black funeral attire.
An insider said Seaver seemed ‘in charge’ of the proceedings, during which he was seen greeting other arrivals and working with local police, via Page Six.
Dolly Parton’s loved ones gathered Friday morning at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, where the country icon is set to be laid to rest
After news of Parton’s death emerged Tuesday, it was reported that she had been quietly battling cancer, though the specific type was not disclosed
The small group of mourners included Parton’s nephew and head of security Bryan Seaver, who announced Tuesday that she had died at the age of 80
According to the source, the premises was ‘crawling with cops’ in advance of the gathering and one officer could be heard saying: ‘The family is en route.’
Children were included in the event, where some of the men arrived wearing cowboy hats and boots and a few of the women held bouquets.
Parton’s nearest and dearest were seen embracing each other outdoors as they met up with one another before filing into the building.
As news spread of Parton’s passing Tuesday, it emerged that she had been secretly battling cancer, although the specific strain was left undisclosed.
Seaver shared Wednesday that Parton will be interred in a comfortable cotton dress, as well as a pair of the high heels that became part of her trademark look.
In his Instagram video announcing her death, Seaver relayed Parton’s wish ‘to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.’
He hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl Dean, as well as her parents and ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.’
Dean died aged 82 of causes that have remained private in March 2025, two months before what would have been his and Parton’s 59th wedding anniversary.
It was unclear whether Parton was interred at the Friday event, where guests were spotted arriving in colored outfits rather than traditional funereal black
When Parton died, family insiders indicated a private service for close friends and relations would be held in Nashville at some point in the ensuing days
It was unclear whether Parton was interred at the Friday event, where guests were spotted arriving in colored outfits rather than traditional funereal black
An insider said Seaver seemed ‘in charge’ of the proceedings, during which he was seen greeting other arrivals and working with local police, via Page Six
According to the source, the premises was ‘crawling with cops’ in advance of the gathering and one officer could be heard saying: ‘The family is en route’
Parton, often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career spanning six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
The fourth of 12 children, six of whom are now still living, Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee, on January 19, 1946.
Her passing came after months of health woes that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling fan fears for her wellbeing.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had declared she still had ‘so many things I want to achieve’ and vowed to continue ‘working as long as I can to see everything come to life,’ via People.
She explained that she had been grappling with ‘some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.’
Parton once told NPR that her 1973 classic Jolene was partly inspired by a local bank teller who developed a flirtatious equation with Dean.
‘She got this terrible crush on my husband,’ she said at the time. ‘And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention.
‘It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying: “Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.”‘
Children were included in the event, where some of the men arrived wearing cowboy hats and boots and a few of the women held bouquets
Parton’s nearest and dearest were seen embracing each other outdoors as they met up with one another before filing into the building
Seaver shared Wednesday that Parton will be interred in a comfortable cotton dress, as well as a pair of the high heels that became part of her trademark look
Seaver relayed Parton’s wish ‘to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life of wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest’
He hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl Dean
Years later, onstage at Glastonbury, she said of the song: ‘I wrote that years ago when my husband… was spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should be. I put a stop to that. I got rid of that redhead woman in a hurry.’
Parton and Dean first met at a Nashville laundromat in 1964, when she was 18 and he was 21, and they exchanged vows in May 1966.
‘I’d never been in a laundromat before,’ she recalled in the 2023 documentary Dolly Parton: In Her Own Words. ‘I walked outside there was this good-looking man that drove by the Wishy Washy Laundromat. And he pulled over to the side. So, we started talking and we married two years later.’
Through her decades of high-octane superstardom, Dean remained a constant and supportive figure for Parton behind the scenes.
Parton offered her public a rare glimpse inside her marriage in 2024, revealing the reason her husband refused to attend events with her.
Parton married her husband Carl Thomas Dean in 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia
She remarked that her husband was ‘not the least bit interested in being in’ her songs despite loving her work, on Bunnie XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast.
A telling moment occurred early in their marriage when she persuaded Dean to attend an awards show in 1967 where she won song of the year.
The outing made such an impression on her ‘homebody’ husband that he promptly informed Parton: ‘I wish you the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going.’
The couple, who renewed their vows in 2016 at their Nashville home, used humor to dissipate any potential for conflict in their decades-long relationship.
Parton raved that her husband was ‘hilarious,’ elaborating: ‘He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny…we have a lot of fun. Anytime [there is] too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far. We never fought back and forth.’
When he died last year, she penned a heartfelt encomium to their ‘many wonderful years together,’ adding: ‘Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.’
