Dolly Parton was laid to rest in a private funeral ceremony on Friday at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville. The service followed her death on August 25 at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
Parton was buried beside her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away in March 2025. The couple, married for nearly 60 years, shared a bronze crypt plaque at the mausoleum, engraved with their names and a depiction of Parton’s Tennessee home.
Family members, including her great-niece Lainey Parton, shared emotional tributes on social media. Lainey wrote on Instagram, “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.” She reflected on Parton’s lifelong role as a matriarch, stating, “Because she couldn’t have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers.”
The burial site was prepared for public visitation, with velvet ropes and guest books arranged by the cemetery. Fans were encouraged to pay respects in person or by tagging @dollyparton on social media. In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the childhood literacy program she founded.
Tributes continued Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry, where the show was dedicated to Parton’s memory. A portion of ticket proceeds was donated to the Imagination Library. Performers including Carly Pearce, Kathy Mattea, and Jelly Roll honored Parton with live renditions of her songs, including “9 to 5” and “Jolene.” A video of Parton performing “I Will Always Love You” at the Opry concluded the evening.
Woodlawn Memorial Park, Nashville’s largest cemetery, has been the final resting place for many country music icons, including George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Porter Wagoner—Parton’s former mentor, to whom she wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell in 1973. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport have announced plans to name locations in her honor.