Country music icon Dolly Parton has been buried after a private funeral attended by family members.
The Jolene singer was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Tennessee, reportedly near the grave of her late husband, Carl Dean.
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Parton died at the age of 80, with her death announced last week after what was described as a “brief battle with cancer”.
Her great-niece, Lainey Parton, reflected on the funeral in an Instagram post, writing: “This is a really hard post for me to make. I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words.
“Most people can think of at least one bad memory with everyone in their family. I honestly can’t think of one with her.
“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.”
Images shared by US NewsChannel 5 Nashville reporter Amelia Young showed Parton’s final resting place marked by a brown memorial featuring an image of a wooden home in the mountains. Flowers surrounded the site, beside a book where mourners could leave messages of condolence.
Lainey Parton also recalled taking part in Dolly Parton’s album Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables, describing the experience as a memory she would “always hold on to”.
She continued: “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.
“As I got older, she continued to believe in me. 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. 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.
“I’m so thankful I said yes to the opportunities and memories I got to share with her as my Aunt Dolly, including being in a movie with her. 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.”
Lainey Parton said the loss “still doesn’t feel real that she’s gone”.
She added that she would “miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs, and just knowing she was there”.
“I’d give anything to see her name pop up on my phone again,” she wrote.
She also thanked fans for their support, including the messages and flowers sent to the family.
Her tribute follows a proposal to rename an airport in Nashville, Tennessee, in honour of the late singer.
Born in Tennessee, Dolly Parton became one of country music’s defining figures through songs including Jolene, 9 to 5, and I Will Always Love You.
Her career remained closely tied to Nashville, where she was inducted into the city’s Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986.
Source: Press Association
