Dolly’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, delivered the message on behalf of the Parton and Owens families. He spoke about what Dolly meant to her family and to generations of fans around the world.
Seaver also revealed a striking detail. Years earlier, Dolly had asked him to be the one to make the announcement when the time came. The family video reveals how Dolly wanted to be laid to rest and ends with a nod to one of her most famous songs: “She will always love you.”
The country icon had spent the past year dealing with a number of health issues that kept her largely out of the spotlight for months. She had also spoken about the difficult period that followed the death of her longtime husband, Carl Dean, in March 2025.
Dolly Parton’s family shares an emotional video
At the beginning of the video, Seaver introduces himself as the son of Dolly’s sister Cassie Parton and says he is speaking on behalf of the Parton and Owens families.
Seaver served as his aunt’s head of security for more than two decades. He says Dolly had personally asked him years earlier to announce her death when the time came. For Seaver, carrying out that request was both an honor and an incredibly difficult task.
But much of his message is about Dolly’s life rather than her death.
© Getty Images“Sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” Seaver says. He adds that his aunt was now reunited with Carl, her parents and other loved ones who died before her.
He also speaks about the doors Dolly opened for her family and for other artists who followed her. Over the course of her career, her influence reached singers, songwriters and musicians around the world.
Seaver then turns to Dolly’s fans. For decades, her voice was part of their everyday lives, first through television and record players, then CDs and, eventually, playlists on their phones. To many of them, he says, Dolly felt almost like a member of the family.
© RedfernsDolly Parton’s poignant final wish
Toward the end of the video, Seaver recalls a conversation with his aunt about how she wanted to be laid to rest.
According to Seaver, Dolly told him she wanted to rest in “a beautiful bed of plush cotton.” The request came with a characteristically Dolly explanation. After decades of wearing rhinestones, she wanted to be comfortable.
© Michael Ochs ArchivesSeaver closes by saying goodbye to the woman his family knew as Aunt Dolly, Granny and Gigi. He then leaves fans with a line that echoes the song forever tied to her name: “She will always love you.”
A legendary career that began in childhood
Dolly began performing when she was still a child, appearing on local radio and television programs in East Tennessee. She later moved to Nashville, where she established herself as a songwriter and country music performer.
What followed was a career that lasted seven decades and made her one of the most recognizable figures in American music. Her work eventually stretched beyond music to movies, Dollywood and charitable causes.
Her family’s video captures that impact in a particularly personal way. Seaver compares Dolly to her father, a farmer. While he worked the land, she “farmed songs and happiness.”
The loss of her husband, Carl Dean
Dolly’s death comes 17 months after she lost her longtime husband, Carl Thomas Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82.
The two met in Nashville in 1964, when Dolly was 18, and married in 1966. They remained together for nearly six decades.
© Getty ImagesDespite Dolly’s worldwide fame, Dean preferred a quiet life away from the spotlight. Their marriage remained largely private throughout her career.
Dolly later spoke about adjusting to life without the man who had been by her side for most of her adult life. In one of her final interviews, she said she had put some of her own health concerns aside while caring for Carl.
In the family’s farewell video, Seaver says they believe Dolly is now with her husband again. It is a simple thought that brings the story back to the person who shared nearly 60 years of her life.
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