As you’ve probably heard by now, we lost a true legend and icon yesterday. Dolly Rebecca Parton passed away at 80 years old. She was multi-faceted as a singer, songwriter, actress, humanitarian, author, and playwright.
Her reps said she bravely faced a brief battle with cancer and passed at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville surrounded by loved ones. It’s not clear what type of cancer she had.
It was previously reported that Dolly was admitted to the hospital on Friday and was dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues. Her nephew was the first to break the news with a video on Instagram.
He said, quote, “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.”
Dolly Parton became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. In 2019, she celebrated her 50th anniversary there with two sold out shows. Here’s her touching final song, along with her thoughts on her wonderful career in music.
Dolly Parton’s final public appearance was on June 24th at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for her new Tennessean Travel Stop. She looked and sounded fantastic, as always. Here’s part of her quick presentation.
Her reps shared that at Dolly’s request, she will be laid to rest with a small and private service with immediate family at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville.
She’ll join her husband Carl Dean, who passed away in March of last year, in the mausoleum.
(You can see a photo of their plaque here.)
Instead of flowers, Dolly’s family is asking for donations to her Imagination Library. Fans are also encouraged to pay tribute to her by tagging her account on social media.