Dolly Parton’s Niece Reveals How The Singer Helped Launch Her Career: ‘She Helped Me Get There’
Dolly Parton’s niece is speaking candidly about her aunt. She recently shared how the late country music icon pushed her to chase after her dreams.
In an emotional tribute following Parton’s burial, Lainey Mae Parton revealed that her famous aunt financially supported her decision to attend beauty school and later helped her get her career started.
The touching revelation comes as Lainey continues to mourn the loss of a woman she affectionately called her “Granny,” admitting that Parton made her nieces and nephews feel like her own children.
Following her aunt’s burial, Lainey opened up about Parton’s generosity towards her on Instagram.
She said her aunt remained her biggest supporter, even as she grew older. She never stopped cheering her, even after she decided to skip going to college to pursue her dreams of being a beautician.
Unlike most aunties, the “Jolene” singer supported her wish and even told her how much the career path suited her.
“When I told her I wanted to go to beauty school, she never questioned why I wasn’t going to college,” Lainey recalled. “She told me she couldn’t see me doing anything else.”
Aside from encouraging her with words, Lainey noted that her aunt backed her up financially.
“She didn’t just tell me to chase my dreams, she helped me get there,” she said.
Dolly Parton Made Her Niece Feel Like She Could Accomplish Anything
Long before Lainey decided what career she wanted to pursue, Parton had already become one of the people encouraging her to believe in herself.
“From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough,” Lainey wrote in her tribute.
She explained that Parton never treated her ambitions as unrealistic and instead “believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.” The encouragement also extended into music.
While Lainey was still a freshman in high school, Parton asked her to sing on a track with her on her 2024 family album, “Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith & Fables.” Lainey and her aunt co-sang a song titled “Be Your Own Man,” written by Parton.
Although Lainey noted that she was nervous about recording and singing the song, she said her aunt helped her feel at ease.
“But she had a way of making me feel like nothing bad could happen,” she shared.
The Country Icon Treated Her Nieces And Nephews Like Her Own
3During her lifetime, Parton did not have any biological children with her now-late husband, Carl Dean. However, that did not stop the couple from taking up the role of aunt and uncle in the lives of kids around them.
“Because she couldn’t have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers,” Lainey explained in her post. “She loved us that way, and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” she added.
Additionally, Lainey expressed that she could not think of one bad memory of her late aunt, Parton. They shared many memories together that she would cherish for the rest of her life.
Lainey Parton Says She Would Give Anything For Another 4 A.M. Call
According to Lainey, some of her favorite memories of her aunt had nothing to do with music, movies, or Parton’s fame.
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The beauty professional revealed that Parton apparently had a habit of calling her at ungodly hours. “I’m even going to miss those 4 AM calls,” Lainey wrote. She expressed how much she would give anything to get those calls from her aunt once again. This highlights how incredible Lainey’s relationship with the “Coat of Many Colors” singer was.
Lainey then used the opportunity to appreciate everyone who texted and called her during this difficult time.
Dolly Parton Got To Lay Next To Her Lover One Last Time
3Parton sadly passed away at age 80 on August 25, 2026, and was laid to rest three days later. The singer previously lost her husband, Dean, on March 3, 2025. He died at age 82.
ABC News reported that the burial ceremony took place privately with family members in attendance.
The singer got to lay beside her husband for the last time in Nashville.
RIP Dolly Parton!
