Dolly Parton’s Final Wish to Be Buried in Plush Cotton Revealed

Dolly Parton, Country Music Legend, Dead at 80Dolly Parton wanted her final resting place to be as comfortable as a bed of yellow roses. After the country music legend died at the age of 80, her nephew Brian Seaver revealed the humble place she wanted to be buried after living her life in the spotlight. “Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy,” Seaver said in a video shared to Parton’s Instagram Aug. 25. “He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.” “Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi,” he continued. “May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you.” Following her death, Seaver shared more insight into his aunt’s wishes, including how the “Yellow Roses” singer wanted the world to find out about her passing. “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he explained. “As her head of security for more than two decades—a role my father Larry held before me—I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven't truly felt it until now.” “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” he said. “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.” Above all, she took pride in the impact she had on everyone she loved—and who loved her.Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images“By her example, we believed that anything was possible,” he said. “She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly but so have you.” Before her death, the “9 to 5” hitmaker shared she was dealing with various health complications, which forced her to take a step back from the spotlight. "I've been not touring, as you know,” Parton said during a rare in-person appearance at her Dollywood theme park in March. “I've had a few little health issues, and we're taking good care of them." Parton added that she needed some time to recover after getting "worn down and worn out grieving over" her late husband Carl Dean, who died at 82 in March 2025. At the time, she shut down any rumors that she’d be retiring. “I’ve just been doing a lot of writing, a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot of getting ready for a lot of new stuff coming up for the rest of this whole year,” she shared. “So, be ready for me. I ain’t done, I ain’t near done.” Keep reading for a look back at Parton’s life in pictures. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images1955Nancy Barr Brandon/MediaPunch/Shutterstock1960Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images1965Nancy Barr Brandon/MediaPunch/ShutterstockLate 1960sMichael Ochs Archives/Getty Images1974MediaPunch/Shutterstock1975NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1977Gary Null/NBC197720th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock19809 to 5Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock1982The Best Little Whorehouse in TexasNBC/NBCU Photo Bank1989Tri-Star/Kobal/Shutterstock1989Steel MagnoliasPaul DrinkwaterNBC/NBCU Photo Bank1990Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1991Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1993Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1994Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1995Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1999NBC/NBCU Photo Bank1999Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2003Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank2008Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire2012Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2014Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire2014Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2015Quantrell Colbert/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2015Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2016Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2018Katherine Bomboy/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2019Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank2019For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App