Dolly Parton deals with heartbreak after devastating loss: ‘He is now at peace’

My older brother David Parton died at the age of 82. I’m sorry for her death, Dolly Parton and her family.

The sad news was confirmed by their sister Stella Parton in a touching post on the social media site X on Friday.

Stella wrote that her brother’s death was “peaceful,” saying, “My brother David passed away peacefully this morning.” It’s always hard to say goodbye to someone you care about, but we know they are now at peace with their new wings.

As soon as Stella made her news public, her fans quickly sent her messages of sympathy and support. “So sorry for your loss. He was so lucky to have two wonderful sisters,” wrote one supporter. “May his soul rest in peace and may his memory be with you forever.”

At the time of this writing, Dolly Parton had not talked about David’s death in public, and his family had not given any more information about his death.

Robert and Avie Lee Parton had 12 children. David Wilburn Parton was one of them. They raised their big family in a simple two-room cabin on a farm in Locust Ridge, Tennessee.

Willadeene, David Wilburn, Coy Denver, Dolly Rebecca, Bobby Lee, Stella Mae, Cassie Nan, Randel Huston “Randy,” Larry Gerald, Estel Floyd and Freida Estelle (twins), and Rachel Ann are listed on Dolly’s official website as her siblings. The list is in order of birth.

David’s death is the fourth death among Dolly’s brothers. Larry Gerald, the youngest child, died tragically only four days after being born in 1955. Floyd Parton, a close friend and talented songwriter, died in 2018 at the age of 61. The musician and performer Randy Parton died of cancer in 2021, when he was 67 years old.

Related Posts

A worried mother closes a basement door after leading her adult son’s fiancée toward the wine shelves while her husband and son watch in shock from a prepared dining room.

My Son Brought Home His Fiancée—Then I Recognized Cindy

After three months of secrecy, my son finally brought his fiancée to dinner. One look at her face—and one familiar name—turned our celebration into a call to the police.

A middle-aged man looks inside an open pizza box at a sealed pouch containing a mysterious blackened object while his wife watches from behind.

The Blackened Object in My Pizza Box

A routine pizza delivery left me staring at a sealed pouch containing a blackened, unrecognizable object. I thought the restaurant had made a bizarre mistake—until the manager called me by name.

A grieving adult woman stands on her porch at dawn, staring at dozens of baby strollers with sealed boxes covering her front lawn, including a large black stroller near the steps.

The Morning After I Gave Away Noah’s Nursery, Strollers Covered My Lawn

After my newborn son died and my husband left, I gave Noah’s unused belongings to a struggling mother. By sunrise, dozens of strollers covered my lawn—and the largest held something I believed was impossible.

A mature woman stands calmly behind a hardware store counter with a deed while her husband and another adult woman react tensely on the opposite side.

He Came Home With Plans for My Store—Then He Saw the Oak Leaf on the Deed

While I recovered from heart surgery, my husband emptied our savings and made plans for the building my father left me. He returned with a new partner, confident I would surrender—until he noticed a tiny symbol on the deed.

My Sister Inherited Mom’s House While I Got Her Old Sewing Basket—Then She Called Me at Midnight

My sister received our mother’s house, car, and savings. I received a dented sewing basket—and the responsibility hidden beneath its lining changed what we believed our mother had left behind.

A baker discovering an old handwritten recipe in her mother’s wooden recipe box

My Mother Left Me a Recipe Box While My Siblings Got the Bakery—Then I Found Her Real Legacy

After her mother’s funeral, Mara is handed an old recipe box while her polished siblings inherit the family bakery, its building, and its public reputation. But inside the faded cards, Mara discovers her mother had been preparing a different kind of inheritance—one meant to feed a whole community, not just a family’s image.