Dolly Parton’s brother, David Parton, dies aged 82

Dolly Parton has suffered the loss of another family member following the passing of her older brother David, aged 82.

According to reports, Dolly’s sister Stella confirmed word of David’s death, telling that his passing was “peaceful”. “It’s never easy to say goodbye to a loved one but he got his angel wings and is now at peace,” Stella wrote on X.

At the time of writing, Dolly has yet to share a statement regarding the loss of her brother, while the Parton family have not revealed much in the way of details as to his cause of death.

David was one of country music icon Dolly’s 11 siblings, born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton on March 30, 1942. The family was famously large, consisting of six boys and six girls, and the children grew up with humble beginnings in the town of Locust Ridge, Tennessee, where they shared a small two-room cabin on the family farm.

Despite the astronomical fame achieved by his younger sister, by all accounts David kept himself out of the spotlight. At the time of his death, he was a retired bridge superintendent for a company called Simpson Construction.

Dolly Parton’s family

David is the fourth of Dolly’s brothers to pass away, with Larry dying shortly after his birth in 1955, Floyd passing away in 2018 at the age of 61, and Randy most recently succumbing to cancer in 2021, aged 67.

Dolly has previously opened up on the importance of a close-knit family bond, and so we can only imagine that David’s passing will affect her greatly. Last year, it was reported that Dolly would be taking a step back from the limelight to better care for her husband, Carl Dean Thomas, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017.

Following the death of her brother Randy in 2021, Dolly released a statement reading:

“My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time.

“We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family that have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms.”

David’s obituary confirmed that he died at his home in White Pine, Tennessee. His funeral is being held on Tuesday.