Country legend Dolly Parton had an unusual last wish related to how her loved ones would remember her. According to information from Page Six and TMZ the singer didn't want those around her to see her on her deathbed and made an exception only for her longtime makeup artist and wig stylist Cheryl Riddle.
TMZ sources claim that the "Jolene" and "9 to 5" singer insisted that no one remember her in her grave condition. Cheryl Riddle was given special permission to be by her side to take care of her appearance after death.
According to the publication, Dolly Parton was subsequently laid to rest in an open casket. The 80-year-old multiple Grammy Award winner was known for her immaculately groomed public image, signature blonde hair and stage makeup, which have become an integral part of her style over the decades.
Shortly before her death, her nephew Brian Seaver, who had been her longtime security detail, was also allowed to visit her. According to TMZ, he visited his aunt the day before her death. Then Dolly Parton entrusted him to personally announce the news of her death publicly.
Seaver recorded the message in the star's studio, and the video was published on her official social media accounts on August 25, when it was announced that Dolly Parton had died at the age of 80.
According to Page Six the singer had been fighting a discreet battle with cancer. Five days before her death, she was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for kidney and autoimmune problems.
Dolly Parton's funeral took place three days after her death in a private ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. The country star was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park next to her husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at the age of 82.
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were married for nearly six decades. Despite the singer's worldwide fame, Dean almost entirely avoided publicity and rarely accompanied his wife to social events.