Dolly Parton reportedly made an intensely private decision during her final days, asking that almost no one see her as her health declined.
The country music legend, who died Aug. 25 at age 80, did not want friends or relatives remembering her in a fragile condition, according to a new report from TMZ.
Sources familiar with the situation told the outlet that Parton made one exception — Cheryl Riddle, her longtime wig and makeup artist.
The reason was unmistakably Dolly.
According to TMZ, Parton wanted Riddle there because she had asked her longtime beauty expert to prepare her hair and makeup after her death. The outlet reported that Parton ultimately had an open-casket service and wanted to look like the glamorous performer her fans and loved ones had known for decades.
The account comes from unnamed sources and has not been independently confirmed by Parton’s estate. That distinction is important because the official announcement of her death did not discuss who was with her during her final hours.
There was also at least one family member who reportedly saw Parton shortly before her death. TMZ reported that her nephew Bryan Seaver visited her the day before she died and that Parton reiterated her desire for him to announce her death publicly.
Parton’s family officially announced her death on Aug. 25, saying she died peacefully in Nashville. The statement described the singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist as leaving behind a seven-decade legacy and said Parton had personally requested a small, private service for immediate family.
That private approach continued after her death.
Parton was laid to rest Aug. 28 at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, according to the Los Angeles Times. She was buried beside her longtime husband, Carl Dean, who died in 2025 after nearly six decades of marriage to Parton.
The reported deathbed request also fits with Parton’s famously meticulous approach to her appearance.
In her 2023 book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, Parton revealed that she had slept in her makeup for decades. She explained that the unusual habit began partly because she worried an emergency — including an earthquake while she was living in Los Angeles — could force her outside unexpectedly.
For Parton, the elaborate wigs, makeup, rhinestones and towering heels were never merely stage costumes. They became an instantly recognizable part of a public image she carefully cultivated throughout her career.
Riddle played a major role in maintaining that image for years, making the reported decision to allow her into Parton’s final private moments particularly poignant.
The new report arrives nearly a month after Parton’s death and as previously planned tributes to the singer continue.
On Sept. 16, fans received another glimpse of Parton when a prerecorded acceptance speech was shown during the Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville. The Americana Music Association had announced before her death that Parton would receive its Lifetime Achievement Award and accept it by video.
In the recording, Parton reflected on her musical roots in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains and the bluegrass and acoustic albums that helped reshape her career in the late 1990s. The video had been recorded before she died.
The emotional appearance became one of the first major posthumous celebrations of Parton’s career.
Her family’s official announcement encouraged fans who wished to honor her to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the literacy program she founded to provide books to children.
The latest revelation about her final days, if accurate, suggests Parton remained deeply conscious of how she wanted to say goodbye — right down to the glamorous image she had maintained for much of her life.
