Dolly Parton’s cousin Richie Owens shared insight into the small burial ceremony that occurred in the days following the “Jolene” singer’s death at age 80. “She wanted to keep it very quiet,” Owens said during a Sept. 3 appearance on Today. “The word keeps getting brought up, ‘funeral,’ and I don’t believe that was really the case in this situation. It was a burial, to be buried beside her husband. She wanted it very small.” Parton was laid to rest on Aug. 28 alongside her husband Carl Thomas Dean, who died in 2025. “A few family members were there,” Owens added. “Other people that I’m sure would’ve liked to have been there were either out doing other things and stuff. It was very quiet, very quickly done, and not for any bad reasons whatsoever, it’s just that’s what she wanted. She wanted to keep it very, very private.”
