Singer Dolly Parton revealed she wanted an old country-gospel song played at her funeral rather than one of her own songs.
Parton’s death at age 80 was announced by her family on Tuesday following a “brief battle with cancer”, and it was announced that at the star’s request a small, private funeral service would be held for immediate family.
In 2014, Parton told Entertainment Weekly she wanted the song If We Never Meet Again (This Side Of Heaven), written by Albert E Brumley in 1945 and later sung by Johnny Cash, to be sung at the service.
She told the US outlet: “I’m sure they’ll be playing I Will Always Love You when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston.
“When they picked her coffin up and started in on that song, I started to cry, and I thought, ‘oh my lord’, that’s when it hit me that she was really gone.
“But there’s a song called If We Never Meet Again, it’s an old country-gospel church song that talks about, ‘if we never meet again this side of heaven, I will meet you on that beautiful shore, where the charming roses bloom forever and where separations come no more’.
“That was my daddy’s favourite. We did sing it at his funeral, and I would like it to be sung at mine.”
Elsewhere in the interview, she spoke about her love of British singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, and said she had always wanted to cover The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, which she eventually did with P!nk and Brandi Carlile on her final album, Rockstar, in 2023.
Following Parton’s death, fans and friends from around the world were encouraged to pay tribute to the 9 To 5 singer on social media tagging @dollyparton.
In lieu of flowers, Parton’s family has asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.
Read MoreDolly Parton will be remembered for ‘music people will treasure’ – Andy Burnham
Dolly Parton spoke of ‘hard times with my health’ in final interview
From Playboy cover to Glastonbury slot: Five looks from Dolly Parton’s career
