Years before Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80, the country singer had already decided which song she wanted played at her funeral.
Parton — whose cousin, Bryan Seaver, announced that she had died peacefully at her Nashville home on Tuesday — spoke about the subject back in 2014 during an interview with Entertainment weekly.
The singer-songwriter began by saying that the logical funeral song for her would be one of her own tunes, I Will Always Love You, which had achieved greater fame after Whitney Houston recorded it for her film The Bodyguard (1992).
Parton previously had a hit on the country charts with her original version of the song from 1974, which she wrote following the end of her working relationship with country singer Porter Wagoner, who died in 2007.
She realized how powerful her song could be when she attended Houston’s funeral in 2012.
“I’m sure they’ll play I Will Always Love You when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” Parton said. “When they picked up her casket and started that song, I started crying and I thought, ‘Oh my Lord.’ Then it dawned on me that she was really gone.”
Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, had already chosen the song to play at her funeral years earlier; pictured in 2022 on Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas
Parton assumed her song I Will Always Love You would be played at her funeral, especially after realizing how powerful it could be when she heard Whitney Houston’s cover played at Houston’s funeral in 2012; Houston is pictured in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001
But as moving as I Will Always Love You could be, Parton envisioned a different song for her funeral twelve years before her death.
“There’s a song called If We Never Meet Again,” Parton told EW. “It’s an old country gospel church song about if we never meet again on this side of heaven, I’ll meet you on that beautiful shore.”
She was so moved by the thought of the beloved song, written by Southern Gospel songwriter Albert E. Brumley, that she continued to quote its lyrics.
“Where the charming roses bloom forever and where divorces are no more,” Parton added.
She further revealed that the song played a prominent role at her father Robert Parton Sr.’s funeral. in 2000.
“That was my dad’s favorite,” she further revealed. “We sang it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
Following the news of Parton’s death, her fans got a little bit of good news when it was confirmed that her Broadway dreams would still come true.
“As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews at the St. James Theater in New York City on December 7,” the show’s producers said in a statement.
“When they picked up her casket and started that song, I started crying and I thought, ‘Oh my Lord.’ That’s when it dawned on me that she was really gone,” Parton said of hearing the song at Houston’s funeral; pictured in 2019 in Newport, Rhode Island
But Parton’s personal choice for her funeral was a different tune, an “old country-gospel church song” titled If We Never Meet Again. She revealed that the song was her father’s favorite and was played at his funeral in 2000; pictured in 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Following the news of Parton’s death, her fans got a little bit of good news when it was confirmed that her Broadway dreams would still come true.
“As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews at the St. James Theater in New York City on December 7,” the producers said in a statement.
The hit show will then officially open on January 19, on what would have been her 81st birthday, after a sold-out run in her hometown of Nashville last summer.
The country legend wrote the music and book and served as producer of the rags-to-riches show led by Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and choreographed by Mandy Moore.
“This is not a story about sparkle and shine on the outside,” Parton said in a video last month.
“It’s about where I really come from, what I’ve lived, what I’ve lost, what I’ve loved and how I found my way and told it in my own words and through the music that was part of me every step of the journey.”
The national treasure added: “Now the musical has some of my big hits plus a bunch of brand new songs that I wrote especially for the show. This is truly a dream come true…and I can’t wait to share it with all of you!’
DOLLY takes audiences on a journey through Parton’s life “from her barefoot beginnings in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee to her performance in platform heels under the bright lights of Hollywood.”
Katie Rose Clarke, Quinn Titcomb and Carrie St. Louis all portrayed the blonde bombshell at various stages of her life at the Belmont University Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, but the Broadway cast has yet to be announced.
However, parents should be aware that DOLLY may not be suitable for children under eight years of age.
The hit show will then officially open on January 19, on what would have been her 81st birthday, after a sold-out run in her hometown of Nashville last summer.
The country legend wrote the music, booked and produced the rags-to-riches show led by Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and choreographed by Mandy Moore.
Katie Rose Clarke, Quinn Titcomb and Carrie St. Louis (pictured August 8) all portrayed the Backwoods Barbie at various stages of her life at the Belmont University Fisher Center for the Performing Arts – but the Broadway cast has yet to be announced
It’s worth noting that Parton was just a Tony Award away from elite EGOT status.
Miley Cyrus’ godmother previously earned a Tony Award nomination for composing the music for the Broadway production 9 to 5: The Musical, which opened at the Marquis Theater in Manhattan in 2009.
Parton’s 1984 song With Bells On was also featured in the Broadway musical Candles, Snow & Mistletoe, which opened at the Palace Theater in 1993.
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winner had previously canceled her six-day residency, Dolly: Live in Las Vegas, at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum.
Parton admitted in May that she has “always had problems with my kidney stones,” but that her immune system and digestion have “gone completely haywire” over the past three years and now “need to be rebuilt and strengthened.”
“The good news is that I am responding very well to medications and treatments and am getting better every day,” the Please Please Please singer said.
‘The bad news is that it will take a while before I get to the podium level because some of the medications and treatments make me a bit ‘swimmy’, as my grandmother used to say.
‘And of course I can’t get dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and the like in two-inch heels. And you know I’m going to wear them!’
It’s worth noting that Parton was just a Tony Award away from elite EGOT status
The Light of a Clear Blue Morning, cousin of singer Bryan Seaver, delivered the sad news via social media, noting how she “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from all walks of life and on every continent.”
Parton’s small, private funeral service will be held for the immediate family and in lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Parton had admitted that she still had “some healing to do,” but she has “great doctors,” who said, “I’m doing really well and they assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that.”
The Light of a Clear Blue Morning singer’s cousin Bryan Seaver announced the sad news via social media where he noted how she “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from all walks of life and across every continent.”
“Her example made us believe that anything was possible. “She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history,” said her 75-year-old head of security.
“Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful plush cotton bed, because after a life of heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable.”
Parton’s small, private funeral service will be held for the immediate family and in lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Hinterland Barbie – which still attracts 16.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify – sold more than 100 million records and broke 10 Guinness World Records.
Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
