Dolly Parton’s final wish to be brought to life in stunning tribute

Dolly Parton will be honored in a celebration of life set to take place across two consecutive weekends in 2027 in Nashville, Tennessee, and London, England, following her death on August 25.

The legendary country singer passed away following a brief cancer battle, leaving her family, friends and fans devastated.

Inside Dollyfest

Dolly’s team announced in a statement on August 31 that they would be producing Dollyfest in honor of her decades-long career and storied legacy, with information about the event to be released at a later date.

“What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life,” said Danny Nozell, Founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises and Dolly’s manager, in a statement.

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“Many people behind the scenes know that DOLLYFEST is a dream of Dolly’s that was intended to take place on her 80th birthday in Nashville. We had the venue booked, and we had the announcement ready to go.”

“And then, in August 2025, Dolly had to take a step back after her initial health challenges. A lot of people always say, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and, well, at this moment, DOLLYFEST is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!),” he continued.

See Dolly’s death announcement below…

Celebrating her life

Danny added that the team were “not discouraging people from celebrating Dolly in the ways they choose”, but that the 80-year-old did not want a traditional memorial.

“Instead, it feels more appropriate for us to take a beat, let all the tributes that immediately make sense occur naturally, and then see through this festival-style concept that was truly dreamed up by Dolly,” he said.

“This is something that is authentic to her, something that feels right to me, and something that artists and fans around the world can participate in, while also giving everyone time to grieve, and giving everyone time to plan.”

Dollyfest will be a music festival-style event which her estate described as a “global double-day, double-weekend, double-continent party of a lifetime”.

Ongoing health issues

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Dolly suffered several health issues in the last year of her life, particularly after the death of her beloved husband, Carl Dean, in March 2025.

She was forced to cancel her Vegas residency in 2025 and stayed close to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center while receiving treatment. Just four days before her death, Dolly opened up about her ongoing health issues in a People interview.

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“Even though I’m still healin’, I’m still workin’! 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, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life,” she said.

She continued: “I hate to cancel anything I’m committed to, but I just couldn’t do the shows at the level I would want them to be, and in the way that I know my fans would expect them to be. I definitely plan to do special performances in the future, but I won’t tour anymore like I used to.”