Entertainment
Dolly Parton’s Dying Wish Is Revealed
Dolly Parton had one final request for the woman behind her famous hair and makeup: Keep her looking like Dolly.
The country music legend allowed longtime stylist Cheryl Riddle to be near her during her final days while restricting visits from friends and relatives, TMZ reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.
Parton “wanted to be all dolled up after she passed,” according to the outlet. Knowing Riddle would prepare her hair and makeup after her death, the singer was comfortable letting her see what most others could not.
The private arrangements stood in contrast to the public updates Parton had offered as fans worried about her health. Even while acknowledging her struggles, the singer continued to talk about getting back to work.
“It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” she told PEOPLE. “But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago. I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI! Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
Behind closed doors, Parton did not want people to remember her in a fragile condition, TMZ reported. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, visited the day before she died, but other relatives were denied access, according to the outlet.
Parton died Aug. 25 at 80 following a “brief battle with cancer,” her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, announced.
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” his statement said.
The singer had been admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with kidney and autoimmune issues. Health concerns also forced her to cancel her Las Vegas residency earlier this year.
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Parton previously said she had put her own medical needs aside while caring for her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at 82. They had been married for nearly 59 years.
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she told PEOPLE.
She recalled another difficult stretch in the early 1980s, when she was “down for several months with female issues.”
Parton’s death ended a career that produced enduring hits including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” Her business ventures included Dollywood, the theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near where she grew up.
Her reach extended well beyond entertainment. The Imagination Library distributed hundreds of millions of free books to children, while her charitable contributions helped fund vaccine research.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,” Pariseau said. “Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.”
He credited her “unconditional love for all people” as the “guiding force for her lasting impact.”
