Dolly Parton Laid to Rest, New Details Shared

Dolly Parton had always felt she was rich in life.

It’s why in death, the beloved singer didn’t seek fanfare or pomp in her sendoff. Instead, as her first cousin Richie Owens revealed, Parton had always expressed her desire that her funeral should be a small, family affair. 

“She wanted to keep it very quiet,” Owens said during a Sept. 3 appearance on Today. “The word keeps getting brought up, ‘funeral,’ and I don’t believe that was really the case in this situation. It was a burial, to be buried beside her husband. She wanted it very small.”

Parton was laid to rest on Aug. 28 alongside her husband Carl Thomas Dean, who died in 2025.

“A few family members were there,” Owens added. “Other people that I’m sure would’ve liked to have been there were either out doing other things and stuff. It was very quiet, very quickly done, and not for any bad reasons whatsoever, it’s just that’s what she wanted. She wanted to keep it very, very private.”

And instead of a home bedecked in flowers from well wishes, Parton had made it clear she thought the money could be put to better use.