Dolly Parton death latest: Funeral arrangements set as Miley Cyrus sends emotional tribute to icon

Dolly Parton’s death has prompted tributes from scientists who remember a less familiar side of her legacy: her contributions to research, public health, and education.

Catherine Heymans, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, told Nature that Parton had “provided the soundtrack for my PhD” and was “gratefully acknowledged as a key contributor” in her thesis.

World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also called Parton “an exceptional artist, a true champion of kindness, and ambassador of science and public health”.

Her best-known contribution to research came in March 2020, when she gave $1m to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to establish the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund. The money helped support early work on an experimental mRNA vaccine that eventually became Moderna’s Covid vaccine, and the fund is acknowledged in the first published phase I trial report.

Parton raised $500,000 for LeConte Medical Center in Sevier County, Tennessee, which opened in 2010 with a dedicated Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services. She gave another $1m to Vanderbilt in 2022 for paediatric infectious-disease research.

In February 2026, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital was renamed Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital after an undisclosed “generational” gift from Parton that is funding a new paediatric residency programme, rural telehealth and the recruitment of medical specialists.

A historic bell in Dolly Parton’s home county rang for five minutes on Wednesday in tribute to the singer, one day after her death.

The 1896 bell atop the Sevier County Courthouse was tolled at noon as part of a Day of Mourning declared across the county. Sevier County and the towns of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Pittman Center joined the county school system in the tribute.

Schools across the county also observed a minute of silence at noon, and residents and businesses were asked to do the same.

The tribute was particularly significant in Sevier County, where Parton was born, raised, and attended high school. She grew up in the nearby community of Locust Ridge and remained closely connected to the area throughout her life, later transforming its tourism industry through Dollywood.

Dolly Parton’s team has revealed the scale of the projects she was developing before her death, from an on-screen avatar to new television series and a biopic.

“Ever the planner, Dolly worked with the team that she handpicked, for the past several years to build a project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come,” Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell told The Los Angeles Times.

The immediate schedule includes Dolly Dolls, launching online on 15 September, and Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, which will mark National Truck Driver Appreciation Week from 13 September.

Guests can begin staying at the SongTeller Hotel in Nashville on 14 September, ahead of its 29 September grand opening. The hotel will also house the 20,000-square-foot Life of Many Colors Museum, while Cup of Ambition Coffee launches online that day before reaching shops in spring 2027.

Other projects include Dolly on the Holly for Christmas 2026, a Kendra Scott 9 to 5 jewellery collection in January 2027, Dolly’s Dog Treats in early 2027 and Dolly Bedding & Home Decor in the third quarter.

Her Broadway musical begins previews in December and opens on 19 January next year, what would’ve been Parton’s 81st birthday.

Beyond those dated projects, Parton’s team says a musical documentary, biopic, docuseries, scripted series, Dolly avatar show and animated Billy the Kid series are also in development.

Nozell said fans can trust that future projects released through official Dolly channels carry her “personal stamp”.

Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, will remain open this week despite the singer’s death at age 80. Parton took over as co-owner and rebranded the park as Dollywood in 1986.

Dollywood confirmed to The Independent that the park “will open as scheduled this week” and that plans for a memorial to Parton will be announced, “in the near future.”

Dolly Parton left behind at least one song that nobody will be able to hear for another 20 years.

In 2015, Parton recorded “My Place in History” for a time capsule at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort. The song is sealed inside a chestnut box containing both a CD and cassette and is not due to be opened until January 19 2046, what would have been Parton’s 100th birthday.

Parton later admitted she regretted agreeing to the arrangement. “I have regretted that because it was a really good song,” she told Jimmy Fallon in 2022. “I keep wanting them to let me dig it up and put something else in it that’s not as good.”

Garry Murray, an Arkansas musician who spent six months playing fiddle in Dolly Parton’s band, remembered the country star for the way she treated people on and off stage.

Murray, who grew up in Corning before moving to Nashville in 2002, told FOX16/KLRT that he joined Parton’s band after her regular fiddle player became unavailable. He first met her more than 20 years earlier after auditioning for bandleader Kent Wells, and Parton shook his hand with both of hers and told Wells: “He looks pretty and he feels good. If he can play the fiddle, then I think we should hire him.”

He was later called in when Parton’s regular fiddle player was unavailable, joining her for a six-month tour. One stop brought the band to Little Rock, where Murray’s family watched him perform.

He said watching her meet fans was one of his strongest memories: “She was the best I’ve ever seen at making whoever she’s talking to feel like the only person in the room.”

Murray also remembered Parton’s extraordinary work ethic, saying she appeared to sleep only around four hours a night because she was constantly working on something. “She was just the best,” he said.

Harry Styles paid tribute to Dolly Parton during the opening night of his 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, telling the New York crowd: “I just wanna give a proper thank you to all the musicians who have inspired me over the years — Dolly, we love you. Thank you so much.”

Styles then had Parton’s recording of “I Will Always Love You” played through the arena before continuing his show. The 1974 song became one of Parton’s signature recordings and was later transformed into a global hit by Whitney Houston.