{"id":261267,"date":"2026-09-03T16:02:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T16:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/03\/dolly-parton-didnt-want-a-big-funeral-she-wanted-to-keep-it-very-quiet\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T16:02:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T16:02:46","slug":"dolly-parton-didnt-want-a-big-funeral-she-wanted-to-keep-it-very-quiet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/03\/dolly-parton-didnt-want-a-big-funeral-she-wanted-to-keep-it-very-quiet\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton Didn&#8217;t Want a Big Funeral: &#8216;She Wanted to Keep It Very Quiet&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Last week, after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/dolly-parton-cancer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the passing<\/a> of beloved icon Dolly Parton, an intimate memorial service took place.<\/p>\n<p>She was a philanthropist, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/dolly-parton-tim-curry-lgbtq-icons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cultural institution<\/a>, and a world-class entertainer who delighted generations.<\/p>\n<p>Parton could have had a funeral with all of the bells and whistles. Instead, there was a small and intimate memorial.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"707\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-1024x707.jpg\" alt=\"Dolly Parton in 2014.\" class=\"wp-image-562401 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-1024x707.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-768x530.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-2048x1414.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-960x663.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-1080x746.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-1200x829.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0903_dollyparton_01-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dolly Parton attends Stella Parton\u2019s Red Tent Women\u2019s Conference 2014.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo Credit: Terry Wyatt\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dolly-parton-wanted-it-very-small\">Dolly Parton \u2018wanted it very small\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>On the Thursday, September 3 episode of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ljctEp6Oec4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Today<\/a><\/em>, Dolly Parton\u2019s cousin, Richie Owens, discussed laying her to rest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted to keep it very quiet,\u201d Owens emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd,\u201d he pointed out, \u201cthe word keeps getting brought up, \u2018a funeral.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owens suggested: \u201cI don\u2019t believe that is really the case in the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not all memorials are funerals. These labels carry a lot of meaning for a lot of people, especially loved ones who are mourning a beloved family member.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"thg-ytf\" data-ytid=\"ljctEp6Oec4\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/ljctEp6Oec4\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Richie Owens Reflects on Life and Career of Cousin Dolly Parton\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/ljctEp6Oec4\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Richie Owens Reflects on Life and Career of Cousin Dolly Parton\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"lazyload\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video: Richie Owens Reflects on Life and Career of Cousin Dolly Parton\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"68\" height=\"48\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M66.5 7.7a8 8 0 0 0-5.6-5.7C56 .7 34 .7 34 .7s-22 0-26.9 1.3A8 8 0 0 0 1.5 7.7 83 83 0 0 0 .2 24a83 83 0 0 0 1.3 16.3 8 8 0 0 0 5.6 5.7C12 47.3 34 47.3 34 47.3s22 0 26.9-1.3a8 8 0 0 0 5.6-5.7A83 83 0 0 0 67.8 24a83 83 0 0 0-1.3-16.3z\" fill=\"#f00\"\/><path d=\"M27 34l18-10-18-10z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Owens pointed out how his legendary cousin how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/dolly-partons-shared-tombstone-with-late-husband-revealed-as-loved-ones-gather-at-burial-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shares a tombstone<\/a> with her late husband, who passed away in early 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a burial to be buried beside her husband,\u201d he detailed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd,\u201d Owens emphasized, \u201cshe wanted it very small.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By all accounts there were only 10 relatives there to lay her body to rest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few family members were there,\u201d Owens acknowledged. \u201cOther people, I\u2019m sure, would have liked to [have] been there, were either out doing other things and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DceW9T5JHnu\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-she-wanted-to-keep-it-very-very-private\">\u2018She wanted to keep it very, very private\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt was very quiet,\u201d Richie Owens said of Dolly Parton\u2019s burial.<\/p>\n<p>He described the affair as \u201cvery quickly done and not for any bad reasons whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owens summarized: \u201cIt\u2019s just what she wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parton could have had an ostentatious funeral, with celebrities, massive crowds, and heads of state paying their respects. That was not her wish, however.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted to keep it very,\u201d her cousin reiterated, \u201c<em>very <\/em>private.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DceNXgPJyZ9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<p>Whatever other feelings she may have had about the end of her life, Parton also would not have wanted money to go to \u201cwaste\u201d on a funeral when it could go towards helping more people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe really cared about her charities,\u201d Owens described, referring to the Imagination Library among other projects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat you saw from Dolly is what she was in real life at home,\u201d he confirmed. \u201c[She was] personable, magical, just very giving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owens added: \u201cYou got the same thing, she didn\u2019t turn it on and off. Dolly was always Dolly. She had the greatest sense of humor.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>With the exception of perhaps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/09\/dolly-parton-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star-vandalized-repairs-underway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a few disturbed individuals<\/a>, the entire world continues to mourn Parton\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/09\/dolly-parton-small-funeral-details\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 2 minutes Last week, after the passing of beloved icon Dolly Parton, an intimate memorial service took place. She was a philanthropist, a cultural institution, and a world-class entertainer who delighted generations. Parton could have had a funeral with all of the bells and whistles. Instead, there was a small and intimate memorial. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-261267","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}