Dolly Parton’s Brother, David Wilburn Parton, Passes Away
Dolly’s sister Stella revealed the news early Friday morning.
Dolly Parton with her Family; Photo Courtesy of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s older brother, David Parton, has died, according to a social media post from their sister, Stella Parton.
Stella shared the unfortunate news on X (formerly known as Twitter) at 5:54 am on Friday, November 15.
“My brother David passed away peacefully this morning. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a loved one but he got his angel wings and is now at peace,” she wrote.
Fans flooded the comments section of her post to express their condolences.
According to reports, David was 82 years old at the time of his death.
David Wilburn Parton was one of Dolly Parton’s 11 siblings, all born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton. The couple had six boys and six girls, according to Parton’s official website. In order of birth, the family consists of 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.
While many of Parton’s siblings went on to pursue careers in entertainment, David lived his life out of the spotlight.
David is the fourth of Parton’s brothers to pass away. According to a Fox News report, Larry died four days after this birthday in 1955. Her brother Floyd, a close collaborator and songwriter passed away in 2018 at the age of 61. In 2021, her brother Randy died following a battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.
Of growing up in a large family and losing Larry at a young age, Parton shared, “My mother, through the years, when we were born, since there were so many of us, used to say, ‘This one is gonna be you baby.’” Parton told TV while promoting her NBC holiday film several years ago. “That just meant that you got to take extra care of it. You have got to get up with it at night and rock it back and forth. This particular baby that passed away in the movie was my baby….So there is a lot of heartache and stuff that goes on with that.”
Dolly Parton has yet to publicly address the loss of her brother, David Wilburn.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Parton family during this time.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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