Dolly Parton's niece, Lainey, has paid tribute to the late country music star following her funeral in Nashville, describing how she treated her relatives like her own children.
Parton, who died on August 25 at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer, was laid to rest in high heels at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum. The singer's family and loved ones gathered for the funeral on Friday. She is interred in the same mausoleum as her late husband, Carl Dean.
Lainey Parton posted on social media to honor her "granny", noting that she wanted to wait until the service was over to speak.
"From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough," she wrote. "She never made my dreams feel too big or made me feel like I couldn’t do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself."
Lainey noted that she could not think of a single bad memory with Parton.
Aunt and collaborator
Parton did not have children of her own due to endometriosis and a partial hysterectomy in her 30s. Lainey said the singer made up for this by showering her nieces, nephews and grandchildren with maternal affection.
"Because she couldn’t have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers. She loved us that way, and I’ll forever be grateful for that," Lainey said.
Lainey collaborated with her aunt on Parton's 2024 album "Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith & Fables".
Recalling the experience, Lainey said she was a nervous high school freshman when Parton asked her to provide vocals.
"She had a way of making me feel like nothing bad could happen. She made me feel safe, confident, and like I belonged right there beside her," she said.
Parton previously told the Associated Press that the release was her favorite album, as it involved her grandparents, aunts and uncles.
"The ones that I remember from being little, and it even goes on farther back from there," Parton said.
Lainey also appeared in a movie with her aunt, and said she was glad to have recordings to watch and listen to when she misses her.
Career support
Beyond music, Lainey said Parton paid for her to attend beauty school and never questioned her decision not to go to college.
"She financially supported me through school and helped me get my career started. She didn’t just tell me to chase my dreams, she helped me get there," Lainey wrote.
She added that it still did not feel real that Parton was gone, and that she would give anything to see her name on her phone again.
"I’m going to miss her voice, her laugh, her hugs, and just knowing she was there. I’m even going to miss those 4 AM calls," Lainey said, adding that she felt incredibly lucky to have her as her granny.
"Thank you for always believing in me, loving me, and making me feel like I could do anything," she concluded. "I love you, Granny. Always."
Lainey shared several photographs with her tribute, including one of her as a young child with Parton on a sofa, and another of Lainey wearing a large blond wig in a nod to her aunt's signature style.
Family tributes
The tribute follows a Facebook post on Thursday by Parton's 77-year-old sister, Stella, who is also a singer and songwriter.
Stella wrote that Parton was willing to undergo medical trials during her final illness to benefit future patients.
"My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known," Stella stated. "What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future."
"If anyone gets to heaven I’m sure she made it right on time. I know she’s showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister’s way," she added.
Tuesday routine
She described their weekly routine of drinking coffee over the phone before sunrise every Tuesday to gossip and make plans.
"Being little farm girls we’ve continued to be early risers," Stella said, recalling that Parton would tell her: "Shoot Tedda, we get more work done before the sun comes up than most folks do all day long!"
Stella urged fans to honor her sister's legacy by showing more kindness and dedicating time and resources to others.
"Dolly loved the world and everyone in it," Stella wrote. "I would criticize and complain about it and she would laugh and say; 'Shoot Tedda, we’ve got more important things to do than worry about their silly asses.'"
"She was right and she proved it every day," she concluded.
On Wednesday, Parton's niece Rebecca Seaver, daughter of the singer's 75-year-old sister Cassie, also released a statement, saying the family's grief was "insurmountable".
Early life and legacy
Born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children.
She and her siblings, Willadeene, David Wilburn, Coy Denver, Bobby Lee, Stella Mae, Cassie Nan, Randle Huston "Randy", Larry Gerald, twins Floyd and Freida Estelle, and Rachel Ann, grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains. The family had no running water, gas or electricity, and slept on beds made of straw.
Parton began singing on local radio and television as a child, releasing her first single, "Puppy Love", at the age of 13. She went on to a six-decade career, scoring major hits with songs including "Jolene" and "9 to 5".
She also became a prominent philanthropist. She donated hundreds of millions of books to children through her Imagination Library, and her $1 million gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in April 2020 helped fund research that led to the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
