Dolly Parton revealed the deeply personal song she wanted sung at her funeral more than a decade before her death.
On Tuesday, Dolly’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80. Dolly’s team confirmed she died following “a brief battle with cancer”.
Her family has also announced how fans can honour the late country music legend.
What song did Dolly Parton want at her funeral?
A 2014 Entertainment Weekly interview has since shed light on the music Dolly wanted for her own farewell.
Dolly said she wanted the country-gospel song If We Never Meet Again sung at her funeral.
Explaining her choice to Entertainment Weekly, she said: “There’s a song called If We Never Meet Again. 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.”
Southern Gospel songwriter Albert E. Brumley wrote the song. It also had a deeply personal connection to Dolly’s family.
Her father, Robert Parton Sr, regarded it as his favourite song. Dolly and her family sang it at his funeral following his death in 2000.
“That was my daddy’s favourite,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
Why I Will Always Love You could also feature
Dolly acknowledged that many people would expect I Will Always Love You to feature at her funeral. She released her original version in 1974 after ending her working relationship with fellow country singer Porter Wagoner.
Whitney Houston later recorded the song for the 1992 film The Bodyguard, bringing it even greater fame. Dolly then experienced its emotional force at Houston’s funeral in 2012.
“I’m sure they’ll be playing I Will Always Love You when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” Dolly told Entertainment Weekly. “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 private funeral and how fans can honour her
Dolly’s family said her funeral would be small and private, with immediate family attending. They asked people to donate to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library instead of sending flowers.
A statement read on Dolly’s Instagram: “At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com.
“In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com.”
Meanwhile, producers have confirmed that her Broadway project, Dolly: A True Original Musical, will continue according to her wishes.
“As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews December 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City,” the producers said in a statement.
Read more: Dolly Parton’s secret final health battle before death as goddaughter Miley Cyrus ‘shell-shocked’
The musical will officially open on January 19, which would have marked Dolly’s 81st birthday. She wrote its music and book, and also worked as a producer. The Broadway opening follows a sold-out run in her Nashville hometown.
While the stage production will bring her story and biggest songs to a wider audience, Dolly’s 2014 interview revealed the quieter country-gospel song she wanted for her final goodbye.
Leave your tributes to the legendary Dolly Parton on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.