The entertainment world is grieving after Dolly Parton’s death was announced on Tuesday, August 25 by her nephew and head of security, Brian Seaver. Brian is the son of Dolly’s sister Cassie Parton, the 7th sibling in Dolly’s large family. Now, TMZ reports that Dolly’s family plans to honor her in a small Nashville ceremony to be held in the coming days.
The report says the celebration will consist of “Dolly’s closest family and loved ones coming together to celebrate her remarkable life and legacy.”
The outlet also notes their sources say there are not yet any plans in the works for a public funeral or celebration of life. However, they point out “it’s still early,” so the possibility of such an event taking place should not be ruled out.
Dolly Parton Addressed Her Fans in a Final Video Message 7 Days Before Her Passing
Dolly was scheduled to make a special in-person appearance at the opening of her new rollercoaster at Dollywood last week, but she the appearance had to be changed to a video message due to her health.
The “Jolene” singer, dressed in a brilliant butterfly costume, explained, “I’m still in Nashville, and I’m sorry about that. I’m supposed to be there in person, like I planned.”
She then good-naturedly called out the fact that the coaster’s opening had been pushed back twice due to safety testing that went on longer than was expected. “I’ve had my butterfly wings flappin’ since May 15, when we were due to open the first time. And again in June.”
Dolly then told fans she’d been experiencing spells of dizziness and dehydration recently, leading her doctors to restrict her from traveling in a move she referred to as “clipping” her wings.
The songstress seemed confident and stayed positive, promising that “all is going well with the medical-everything.”
Her exact cause of death has not been released as of publishing. However, several outlets including TMZ have reported that kidney and autoimmune problems were at play.
Celebrities Are Flooding Social Media With Tributes to Dolly Parton
Dolly’s celebrity admirers are mourning her in droves after the announcement of her death. Kelly Osbourne jumpe d on Instagram soon after the news broke to share a tribute that read in part, “Dolly, thank you for paving the way. Not only for women in music, but for women everywhere to be unapologetically themselves. You showed us that we could be ambitious and kind, strong and soft, fearless and authentic.”
Another early tribute came from Dolly’s fellow country star, Kacey Musgraves, who wrote on X, “Dolly. This really hurts.” She inserted a broken heart emoji after Dolly’s name to show her emotions.
Actress Lily Tomlin, known for “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” among many other projects, also gave Dolly a social media shout-out. She called the star a “comedy treasure” and reposted a tribute by Jamie Lee Curtis that read, “Thank you, Dolly. For all of it.”
A museum honoring Dolly and her work is planned to open in Nashville this fall.
