Dolly Parton ‘laid to rest’ in intimate funeral service, niece reveals

Country music star Dolly Parton was “laid to rest”′ on Friday, her niece has revealed in an emotional Instagram post today.

Lainey Parton, niece of Dolly Parton, took to Instagram sharing a carousel of photographs of her aunt, revealing in the caption that the Jolene singer was laid to rest on Friday, August 28.

“This is a really hard post for me to make. I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words,” she started the post.

She expressed how Parton, who she called “Aunt Granny,” was a massive source of support for her growing up.

“From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough. 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.

“Most people can think of at least one bad memory with everyone in their family. I honestly can’t think of one with her.

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“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.”

The heartfelt post went on to detail some of her favourite memories with Parton, including the time she asked Lainey to sing on the Smokey Mountain album.

“I was a freshman in high school and SO nervous,” the post read. “But 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.”

“As I got older, she continued to believe in me. When I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, she never questioned why I wasn’t going to college. She told me she couldn’t see me doing anything else.

“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.”

Parton was known as “Aunt Granny” to her many nieces and nephews from her 12 siblings.

It comes as members of Parton’s family were pictured gathering at the Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville. Page Six reports the photos were taken at the country star’s intimate funeral.

Parton died on August 25 aged 80. The country singer’s death was announced in a video by her nephew Brian Seaver, which was followed by an official statement from the family.

“My name is Brin Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” Seaver said.

“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.

“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 honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”

In a secondary statement, the family revealed that “at Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family”.

They requested anyone thinking of sending flowers, to instead donate to Parton’s Imagination Library, which gifts about 3 million books to kids worldwide each month.