After Dolly Parton died at 80 on Aug. 25, her nephew Bryan Seaver shared that she would be buried alongside her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean.
Dolly Parton was happiest when Carl Dean was by her side.
And after the "Jolene" singer died on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer, her nephew Bryan Seaver confirmed to TMZ that she would be buried next to her husband of nearly 60 years.
Parton's final resting place will be the mausoleum at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Tennessee, where Dean was buried after his death in March 2025.
Seaverâwho was also the country music legend's head of security for more than 20 yearsâannounced his aunt's death while reflecting on her rhinestone-encrusted legacy.
"Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent," he said in an Aug. 25 Instagram video. "By her example, we believed that anything was possible. She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history."
He also believes that Partonâwho, according to multiple outlets, was hospitalized days before her deathâreunited with her loved ones in the afterlife.
"But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly," Seaver added. "Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens."
Parton's death comes more than one year after she announced on social media that Deanâwhom she wed in 1966âhad died.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together," she wrote in an X statement. "Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."
Dean and Parton's country love story hit all the right notes over the years. Even while the "9 to 5" singer spent time on the road, her husband was happy to support her from their Tennessee mountain home.
"It's worked for us because we both do different things and it's exciting when we are together," Parton told E! News in May 2024. "So the fact that there's some little space that makes it exciting when you go home."
"He loves music," she added, "but he's not in the music business at all, so we have different things to talk about, his world and my world, and we work really well together. We have a lot of love and respect for each other, and I think the key to all of itâwe both have a crazy, warped sense of humor, so we have a lot of fun."
Through the ups and downs of having a relationship in the spotlight, Parton proved she didn't stop loving Dean. Keep reading for a look back at where their romance all began.
Dolly Parton left two boyfriends behind in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., so getting into a new relationship was the last thing on her mind when she moved to Nashville in 1964, right after graduating from high school.
