Nestled in a rural corner of her beloved Nashville, this is the country music icon’s final resting place Dolly Partonthe Daily Mail can reveal.
Woodlawn Memorial Park is a world away from the crowded arenas and Hollywood parties where the Tennessee-born star spent more than six decades in the spotlight.
But in the serene, oak-lined cemetery, the legendary singer will be buried next to her devoted husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean.
Carl, a Nashville businessman who shunned the spotlight, was buried in the park’s mausoleum after he died in March 2025 at the age of 82.
There was no doubt that his wife would join him there, as her name was engraved on his memorial well before her death on Tuesday, at the age of 80.
Parton will join one who’s who of land royalty buried on the 205-acre grounds of Woodlawn, three miles from Nashville’s famed Music Row.
Dolly Parton will be buried next to her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, at the Woodlawn Memorial Park Funeral Home Mausoleum, the Daily Mail can reveal
Representatives of the country’s queen revealed that she died on Tuesday after a ‘short battle with cancer.’ She was 80 years old
Visitors have long made pilgrimages to see the graves of stars including George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, Little Jimmy Dickens and Porter Wagoner.
It was Wagoner who gave Parton her big break when she appeared on his show in 1967, before the pair went on to perform numerous duets.
Their partnership soured when Parton decided to pursue a solo career – which forced her to write I Will Always Love You, made famous decades later by Whitney Houston.
Partons Representatives announced this on Tuesday she died after a ‘short battle against cancer, although they did not reveal what type of cancer it was.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity to everything she touched,” the statement said.
‘Na brave faced with a short battle against cancerDolly departed her earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, surrounded by loved ones.”
Exclusive Daily Mail photos show that Parton’s name was already engraved alongside Carl’s on his memorial stone – a poignant sign that the couple who spent nearly sixty years together always intended to remain side by side
The couple met in a Nashville laundromat in 1964, when she was just a teenager, before marrying in 1966 – the date of which is now on their memorial stone.
Carl Dean died in March 2025 at the age of 82 from unknown causes
Family sources have said Parton will be remembered in a private ceremony for her immediate family, although the location has not been disclosed.
‘Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging or leaving a message at dollyparton.com.
“In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at http://imaginationlibrary.com,” the statement said.
Her final resting place will also mark a break with tradition after many of her relatives were buried in Sevierville, close to the Smoky Mountains and the community where the Parton family grew up.
Born into a family of twelve children, Parton arrived in Nashville as a teenager with little more than her talent and ambition to become a country singer.
It was also where she met Carl outside a laundromat in 1964, when she was 18 and he was 21. They married two years later and remained together for almost 59 years.
It’s tempting to say that since Parton died so soon after her beloved husband’s death, Parton never really recovered from the loss.
Parton enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned six decades
Parton became one of the most recognizable stars of any music genre, with a career spanning 60 years, 49 solo albums and countless hits such as 9 to 5 and Jolene.
But Dean rarely appeared with his wife at public events and was uncomfortable with the attention her fame brought.
He ran his own asphalt paving company and preferred a quiet life away from the cameras.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton wrote after Dean died last year of an unknown illness.
‘Words cannot do justice to the love we have shared for over sixty years. Thank you for your prayers and condolences.”
Parton later told People magazine that she had trouble adjusting to life without him.
‘We were together for sixty years. “I have loved him since I was 18 years old,” she said.
‘It’s a big adjustment if you’re just trying to change patterns and habits.
‘But of course I will always miss him and always love him. He was a great partner for me.”
Prior to her death Tuesday, Parton had previously raised concerns with fans in late September, when she announced that unspecified “health issues” had forced her to postpone her Residence in Las Vegasoriginally scheduled from December 4 to 13 at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace, through September 2026.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had stated that she was quiet had ‘so many things I want to achieve’ and vowed to keep “working as long as I can to see it all come to life,” via People.
She also admitted that she had recently had “tough times with my health.”
Parton will also join fellow American Porter Wagoner at the rest stop
It was Wagoner, who died in 2007, who gave Parton her big break when she appeared on his show in 1967. Above, together before his death that year
Parton and her husband are now among the who’s who of country royals buried on the 205-acre site in Woodlawn, three miles from Nashville’s famed Music Row.
“I’m dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said, referring to her late husband, who passed away in March 2025.
She later withdrew from several public appearances, including a Las Vegas residency and the opening of a new attraction, NightFlight Expedition, at her Dollywood theme park.
The star was scheduled to attend the ride’s grand opening on August 14. Instead, a video recording of the star addressing her fans was shared on a screen in the park, which is now believed to be her final public appearance.
“So my doctor from Nashville kind of clipped my wings and said, ‘You’re not traveling this week.’ So I guess if your doctor tells you, ‘You’re not traveling this week,’ you’re not traveling this week,” Parton said in the video message.
Wearing a bright pink top adorned with gemstones and butterfly wings, she looked energetic and happy as she discussed her ongoing ‘health issues’ with fans.
“I’m still in Nashville, and I’m sorry about that,” she said in the clip. “I have to be there in person, as planned.”
Mourning fans have begun leaving flowers, candles and photos of Parton on her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles, California
“We will always love you,” read a sign left by a fan, while others read “in the arms of Jesus,” and “we love Dolly.”
She assured her fans that she was still hard at work on projects like her new museum Life of Many Colors in Nashville, her new hotel and Broadway show, Dolly: A True American Musical.
She also emphasized that “everything went well on the medical front.”
The star’s death was first confirmed on Tuesday in an Instagram video posted by her cousin Bryan Seaver, who also acted as her head of security.
Seaver praised his aunt for “living in the light” and said she was now “in the arms of Jesus” and in the company of her late husband Carl.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver said.
Fellow stars paid tribute following the news, including Hillary Clinton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Khloe Kardashian and more.
President Donald Trump also paid tribute to Parton and ordered American flags nationwide be lowered for a week in her honor.
The country legend’s death shocked the world, with grieving fans performing at her Nashville, Tennesseehome on Tuesday evening after the news.
Images shared on social media shows state troopers directing traffic as lines of sympathizers appear at her home with flowers and signs.
“We will always love you,” read a sign left by a fan, while others read “in the arms of Jesus” and “we love Dolly.”
