The only person Dolly Parton allowed to be at her deathbed revealed
There was only one person with Dolly Parton when she died.
The country music icon died at age 80 on August 25, and the only person to see her in her final moments was Cheryl Riddle, her wig and make-up artist.
Singer Dolly Parton Performs at Agua Caliente Casino on January 24, 2014 in Rancho Mirage, California. Getty
The Jolene hitmaker’s dying wish was that no one could see her on her deathbed because she didn’t want anyone to remember her that way, sources told TMZ.
However, Riddle was the exception.
Parton allowed Riddle to be there so she could be dolled up with her signature look after she died.
According to TMZ, Parton was farewelled in an open casket ceremony, which makes sense as to why Riddle was such an important person to be there in the final moments of her life.
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The only other family member who saw the 9 to 5 singer in her final moments was her nephew, Bryan Seaver.
Seaver, who was recently fired from his role as head of security for Parton, reportedly saw her the day before she died.
During the visit, the 10-time Grammy winner told him that she wanted him to be the one to announce her death.
He wrote out and recorded a speech at her studio, which was then shared across her social media on the day she died, to confirm her passing.
Meanwhile, Parton’s siblings – the singer was one of 12 children – were reportedly stopped from seeing her on her deathbed.
Dolly didn’t want her family to remember her on her deathbed, and instead had hair and makeup ready for the moment she passed. Getty Images
Parton died at age 80, after a secret battle with cancer.
The country music icon had chosen to keep the diagnosis hidden and decided not to tell “every relative” about the diagnosis, which her sister Stella Parton, 77, revealed.
Stella opened up about her sister’s choice to hide the truth about her health from family during an interview with CBS Mornings.
“Dolly could not bear negative things, and she would not have wanted her fans worried about it,” she said.
“She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it.”
Dolly Parton’s sister Stella confirmed that not everyone knew about her cancer diagnosis before her death. Getty/Terry Wyatt
Stella clarified that some of the family were aware of the diagnosis, “the ones that were closer.”
Parton “did not want to see people sad” and Stella believes that she would be really “happy and delighted” with the love people have shown her since her death.
The star was laid to rest in a private service instead of a large public funeral, which many fans called for in Nashville’s Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum just three days after she died.
