Burnett paid tribute to Parton, who died at 80 on Aug. 25, on Instagram, reminiscing about their time filming the TV special ‘Dolly & Carol in Nashville’
Credit: CBS via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Carol Burnett, who starred alongside Dolly Parton in the 1979 television special Dolly & Carol in Nashville, is honoring the singer following her death on Aug. 25
- “We shot the week of Thanksgiving and Dolly made individual turkey dinners for every one of us, that she cooked herself,” Burnett recalled of their time on set in an Instagram tribute on Tuesday
- Parton’s death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in an Instagram post
Carol Burnett is paying tribute to her friend Dolly Parton, who died on Aug. 25 at age 80.
Following the death of the country music icon, Burnett, 93, honored Parton in an Instagram post, sharing a cherished memory from their time filming the 1979 television special Dolly & Carol in Nashville.
“I’m so sad right now,” Burnett wrote alongside a photo of the pair holding hands and singing together.
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Dolly & Carol in Nashville aired on CBS on Valentine’s Day 1979 and was filmed as part of a promotional campaign for Parton’s album Heartbreaker. The hour-long special featured the two icons singing duets, trading jokes and performing comedic skits together at the Grand Ole Opry.
Reflecting on their time filming the special, Burnett wrote, “One of my favorite memories was taping the special ‘Carol and Dolly’ in Nashville. We shot the week of Thanksgiving and Dolly made individual turkey dinners for every one of us, that she cooked herself.”
Burnett concluded her tribute with a simple but heartfelt message, writing, “We were a family. That’s who she was.”
Credit: Art Streiber
Parton’s death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in an Instagram post. The news came just four days after Parton opened up about her “health issues” in a statement to PEOPLE.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he said. “This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” Seaver said. “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
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