Dolly Parton once shared the song she hoped her loved ones would sing when it came time to say goodbye.
The country music legend passed away at age 80 on Aug. 25, with her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announcing the news publicly via a heartfelt message posted to Parton’s Instagram. Years before her death, Parton had spoken candidly about her eventual funeral and revealed the song she hoped her loved ones would sing in her honor.
Dolly Parton Said ‘I Will Always Love You’ Would Likely Be Played at Her Funeral
Parton revealed in a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly that she expected her signature hit “I Will Always Love You” to be played at her funeral.
The ballad became one of the most recognizable songs of her career, particularly after Whitney Houston recorded a rendition for the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard.”
According to People, Parton originally wrote the song as she prepared to professionally part ways with Porter Wagoner, her longtime collaborator and mentor on The Porter Wagoner Show. Decades later, she experienced the song in an entirely different context when Houston died in 2012.
“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” Parton told Entertainment Weekly.
The moment had a profound emotional effect on the country music legend.
“When they picked her coffin up and started in on that song, I started to cry, and I thought, ‘Oh my Lord.’ That’s when it hit me that she was really gone.”
Dolly Parton’s Wanted Famous Gospel Song Sung at Her Funeral
Despite anticipating that her famous hit would become part of her own farewell, Parton had another selection in mind when asked what she personally wanted sung.
In the same interview, Parton named the country-gospel song “If We Never Meet Again” as one she wanted included in her funeral.
The choice had deep roots in Parton’s family and her faith, particularly because of the song’s connection to her late father, Lee Parton.
“But there’s a song called ‘If We Never Meet Again,’ ” Parton said at the time. “It’s an old country-gospel church song that talks about if we never meet again this side of heaven, I will meet you on that beautiful shore.”
The star revealed the song was a favorite of her father, Lee Parton, who died in November 2000.
“That was my daddy’s favorite,” she said. “We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
Parton’s longtime husband, Carl Dean, passed away in March 2025. In the months that followed, Parton spoke publicly about grieving Dean and revealed that she had put some of her own health concerns aside while caring for him.
Just days before her death, Parton told People that she was still dealing with health issues but remained committed to her work.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said.
Parton, who did not have children, leaves behind a large extended family. She was also famously the godmother of Miley Cyrus.
