Dolly Parton’s Final Wish to Be Buried in Plush Cotton Revealed

By Sasha Wayman Aug 25, 2026 7:08 PM

| Updated 27 minutes ago

“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he explained. “As her head of security for more than two decades—a role my father Larry held before me—I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now.”

“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” he said. “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”

Above all, she took pride in the impact she had on everyone she loved—and who loved her.

“By her example, we believed that anything was possible,” he said. “She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly but so have you.”

Before her death, the “9 to 5” hitmaker shared she was dealing with various health complications, which forced her to take a step back from the spotlight.

"I've been not touring, as you know,” Parton said during a rare in-person appearance at her Dollywood theme park in March. “I've had a few little health issues, and we're taking good care of them."

Parton added that she needed some time to recover after getting "worn down and worn out grieving over" her late husband Carl Dean, who died at 82 in March 2025.

At the time, she shut down any rumors that she’d be retiring.

“I’ve just been doing a lot of writing, a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot of getting ready for a lot of new stuff coming up for the rest of this whole year,” she shared. “So, be ready for me. I ain’t done, I ain’t near done.”

Keep reading for a look back at Parton’s life in pictures.