Dolly Parton told her friend and fellow country star Lainey Wilson a poignant message in their final call just a few weeks before her death
Lainey Wilson has recalled the special message Dolly Parton had for her in their final call before her death.
Dolly died aged 80, with her sad passing being announced earlier this week. Her death was confirmed by nephew Bryan Seaver on Instagram, who shared: “I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness.”
Representatives for the country star confirmed Dolly died after a “brief battle with cancer”. The type of cancer was not disclosed. “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
Since her death, tributes have been paid for Dolly, with fellow country star Lainey Wilson now speaking out to reveal details of their final phone call.
Lainey wrote: “My Dolly. I felt like you were my friend before we even met.. you made everybody feel that way. But once we became friends, boy did we have a lot to talk about…
“I sure am glad you called a couple of weeks ago. We got to talk about the business, the sacrifice, how special Carl Dean was to you and how important Duck is to me.. you told me that ‘it’s all great and stuff that Duck lets you be you, but you better make sure you let Duck be himself too.’”
Lainey was a huge fan of Dolly growing up but when Lainey became famous, Dolly became a mentor for her. The pair worked on music together, and have even shared the stage regularly. During their phone call, the pair discussed their faith and it was then that Dolly made a poignant comment, that she felt like she wasn’t “finished” yet.
“You also told me to take my time reading the book of Revelation and that I might need to go on back to Psalms for a minute to catch my breath. We talked about how we both feel like we were called into this business and you told me you felt like you weren’t finished. Well my friend, you are not,” she shared.
“The kind of love and light you shined in your lifetime is the kind that never goes away. I am thankful the Lord gave you a gift, you decided to share it, and the Lord decided to share you with us. I can’t wait to see you again and I know when I hug your neck in heaven someday you are still gonna be saying, ‘don’t mess up hair, Lainey girl.’ I will always love you, my friend.”
In a series of interviews before her death, Dolly said she had some health issues she wasn’t “paying attention” to whilst looking after her husband Carl Dean, who died March last year.
“I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she said in an interview on Friday. However, her diagnosis hadn’t stopped her living life.
“You know me, as I’ve often said, I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve,” she told People on August 21. Dolly vowed to continue working, just “as long as I can to see everything come to life. It’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health. I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’.”
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