Years before her death on Tuesday, Aug. 25, Dolly Parton had already voiced some wishes for her funeral, including a song she wanted to be played.
Parton died at the age of 80 after privately battling cancer, her representatives confirmed Aug. 25 to The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The cultural icon died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville after being hospitalized there Aug. 21. Parton's representatives described her illness as a brief battle with cancer but did not disclose what type she had.
Parton's death was announced Aug. 25 by her nephew Bryan Seaver on social media, who spoke on behalf of the Parton and Owens families. Seaver, the son of Parton's sister Cassie, was his aunt's head of security for more than two decades.
Here's what we know about Parton's funeral plans.
Dolly Parton's funeral to be private
"At Dolly's request," a small, private memorial service for her will be held for immediate family, her representative said. Seaver confirmed to TMZ that she will be buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, where her late husband, Carl Dean, is also buried, just as she intended.
Dolly Parton wanted a certain song played
In 2014, Parton shared a song she wanted to be played at her funeral.
The country music legend, in an Entertainment Weekly interview, said that while she expects Whitney Houston's “I Will Always Love You” to be the obvious choice, she would like “If We Never Meet Again” to play.
"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," Parton said, before sharing a verse from the song: “Where the charming roses bloom forever and where separations come no more.”
She added that the song was her "daddy’s favorite."
"We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine," she told the publication. Parton's father, Robert Lee Parton, died in November 2000.
Parton, in the interview, also recalled listening to “I Will Always Love You” at Houston's funeral in 2012.
"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," Parton said.
While Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to then-business partner Porter Wagoner, the simple love song, rearranged from country twanger to soulful soar by producer David Foster for "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, became Houston's hallmark song. According to Forbes, Parton earned more than $10 million in royalties from the song in the 1990s.
How Dolly Parton's fan can honor her
With the funeral expected to be private, the family suggested other ways to pay tribute to Parton.
- Fans are encouraged to tag @DollyParton on socials or leave a message at dollyparton.com.
- In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the book gifting program for children she founded as an ode to her father, at imaginationlibrary.com.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, Anthony Robledo / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton had already made these funeral plans before she died
