Dolly Parton’s Cousin Richie Owens Discusses Her Health Struggles, Burial: EXCLUSIVE
TODAY.com • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Dolly Parton kept her cancer diagnosis and health struggles private from many family members, choosing to maintain a positive outlook and not disclose details publicly before her death on August 25 at age 80.
- Richie Owens, Parton's first cousin and family historian, clarified that there was no formal funeral; Parton was quietly buried beside her late husband Carl Dean in Nashville on August 28, in accordance with her wishes for privacy.
- Parton preferred that any money typically spent on mourning, such as flowers, be donated to her philanthropic efforts, particularly her Imagination Library charity.
- The announcement of Parton's passing was shared via a video message from her nephew Bryan Seaver on her Instagram, fulfilling a request she made years prior.
