Dolly Parton's niece, Lainey Parton, has shared a touching tribute to the country music icon following a private funeral service attended by loved ones. Lainey described her aunt, who died on August 25 at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer, as a maternal figure who treated her nieces and nephews as her own children.
Parton's family gathered at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville for the service, where the singer was interred in the same mausoleum as her late husband, Carl Dean. Lainey Parton began her memorial post on social media after the service, expressing the difficulty of putting her feelings into words.
"From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough," Lainey wrote in a caption accompanying photos of herself with Dolly. "She never made my dreams feel too big or made me feel like I couldn’t do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself."
Lainey noted that Dolly Parton, who was unable to have children due to struggles with endometriosis and a partial hysterectomy in her 30s, always made her extended family feel like her own. "Because she couldn’t have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers. She loved us that way, and I’ll forever be grateful for that," she shared.
One cherished memory Lainey recalled was being invited by Dolly to provide vocals on her 2024 album, Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith & Fables. "One memory I’ll always hold onto is when she asked me to sing with her on her @smokymountaindna album," Lainey wrote. "I was a freshman in high school and SO nervous. But she had a way of making me feel like nothing bad could happen. She made me feel safe, confident, and like I belonged right there beside her."
Parton's niece also recounted how the singer supported her career aspirations. "When I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, she never questioned why I wasn’t going to college. She told me she couldn’t see me doing anything else," Lainey recalled. "She financially supported me through school and helped me get my career started. She didn’t just tell me to chase my dreams, she helped me get there."
Lainey expressed her gratitude for the shared moments, including appearing in a movie with her aunt. "I’m so glad I have those moments to look back on now. I have things I can watch, hear, and hold onto when I miss her," she said. Lainey also shared a photo of herself wearing a blond wig, seemingly in tribute to her aunt's iconic style.
Despite the outpouring of love and condolences, Lainey admitted, "it still doesn’t feel real that she’s gone." She added, "I’m going to miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs, and just knowing she was there. I’m even going to miss those 4 AM calls, and I’d give anything to see her name pop up on my phone again."
Lainey concluded her tribute by saying she feels "incredibly lucky that I got to call her my granny." She thanked Dolly for her unwavering belief and love, stating, "I love you, Granny. Always."
Prior to Lainey's post, Dolly Parton's younger sister Stella had also spoken about her sibling's enduring spirit. Stella shared that Dolly had intended to use experimental drugs to help others, even if there was no hope for her own recovery. "My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known," Stella stated. "What the world saw is exactly who she was."
Stella also reminisced about their weekly phone calls for coffee, a tradition they maintained for years. "We would catch up on gossip, as sisters do, and drink coffee and make plans as it has always been our way," she shared.
Dolly Parton, one of 12 siblings raised in the Great Smoky Mountains, launched her music career at a young age and achieved widespread fame with hits like "Jolene" and "9 to 5." Beyond her music, she was known for her philanthropic work, including her Imagination Library initiative, which has donated millions of books to children, and a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020 that aided COVID-19 vaccine research.