Dolly Parton's loved ones convened on Friday morning at her burial site in Nashville, the Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, for a private service.
An intimate group of mourners, including Parton's nephew and head of security Bryan Seaver, gathered at the site. Seaver announced the death of the 80-year-old country music legend on Tuesday. According to family insiders, the service was for close friends and relations.
Seaver shared that Parton is to be interred wearing high heels, a signature part of her trademark look, alongside her husband of over half a century, Carl Dean. He also stated that she would be laid to rest in a comfortable cotton dress and wished to be placed in a "beautiful bed of plush cotton" for her comfort after a life of "wearing heavy rhinestones."
It remained unclear whether Parton was interred during the Friday gathering, where attendees were observed wearing colored outfits rather than traditional black. Some men were seen in cowboy hats and boots, and some women carried bouquets.
Security was notably present at the mausoleum, with the premises described as "crawling with cops" in advance of the gathering. An insider noted that Seaver appeared to be "in charge" of the proceedings, greeting arrivals and coordinating with local police.
Parton, widely known as the Queen of Country, had a music career spanning six decades, with hits including "Jolene" and "9 to 5." She had been secretly battling an undisclosed strain of cancer, which emerged as news of her passing spread. Her health had been a concern for fans in recent months, leading her to withdraw from public appearances.
Parton, born in Pittman Center, Tennessee, in 1946, was the fourth of 12 children. She met her husband, Carl Dean, at a Nashville laundromat in 1964 and they married in May 1966. Dean died at age 82 in March 2025. Despite Parton's high-profile career, Dean remained a private figure and was notably reluctant to attend public events with her, a stance Parton often shared with humor.
In a social media video announcing her aunt's death, Seaver reflected on Parton's life, stating she had "lived in the light" and was now "in the arms of Jesus" and reunited with her late husband, parents, and other loved ones in heaven.