Dolly Parton, the iconic country music singer, revealed in a resurfaced interview that she regretted burying an unreleased song in a time capsule at Dollywood, which is not scheduled to be opened until 2045. The song was written and recorded with the intention that it would not be heard for nearly two decades.
In an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December 2022, Parton, then 76, told Clarkson, "You have no idea how that has bothered me. I wanna go dig that up so bad. It's a really good song!"
Parton acknowledged that she might not be alive to hear the song when the time capsule is opened, noting she would be 99 years old by then. "I might be here, I might not be," she stated. "I don't know whose damn idea that was." The singer expressed concern that the recording might disintegrate and be lost before it could be retrieved. "I figure it'll probably disintegrate and nobody will ever hear it, that's what bothers me... if it rots in there before they open it."
She had previously discussed the hidden song in her 2020 memoir, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, comparing the act of leaving the song in the capsule to "burying one of my kids, putting it on ice or something, and I won't be around to see it brought back to life." She reiterated that "It's just burning me up inside that I have to leave it in there."
Parton's death was confirmed on Tuesday, August 25, 2025, at age 80. According to reports, she passed away after being admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with autoimmune and kidney problems.
Parton's career spanned six decades, and she was celebrated for hits such as "Jolene" and "9 to 5." Her passing followed months of health issues that had led her to withdraw from several public appearances. She lost her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025. The couple first met in 1964 when Parton was 18 years old.
Following Dean's death, Parton released a song dedicated to him, titled "If You Hadn't Been There." She later shared her emotional reaction via Instagram Stories to a tribute at the Opry 100: A Live Celebration show, where artists performed her song "I Will Always Love You" in remembrance of her late husband. "I have not stopped crying over the beautiful tribute," she wrote, adding, "All those beautiful people with all their beautiful voices singing my song as a tribute to my husband Carl... the emotion was beyond words."