American country singing-songwriting legend, Dolly Parton, is grieving the loss of her little brother after a hard-fought battle with cancer. 75-year-old Parton took to Instagram this week and shared an emotional eulogy about Randy Parton, who passed away on January 21 at the age of 67 years old.
The iconic "Jolene" singer shared a special tribute to her brother and explained that the entire family is in mourning, but they understand he is at peace and in a better place.
Dolly Parton addressed her 3.9 million followers on Instagram with a long caption included next to a photo of herself and late brother, Randy Parton.
"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," Parton wrote.
She added, "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."
Dolly Parton is an entertaining juggernaut, but the humbled star took some time to list her brother's accolades, as he was also in the country music business.
"Randy was a great singer, writer, and entertainer. He sang, played guitar and bass in my band for many years," Dolly explained.
She continued, "He headed his own show at Dollywood since it opened in 1986. He’s had several chart records of his own, but his duet with me on “Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You” will always be a highlight in my own career."
While reminiscing about some of their performances together, Dolly Parton knew exactly which song will always remain close to her heart, as it happened to be the last recording the two siblings made together before Randy's death.
"'You Are My Christmas,' our duet on my latest Christmas album, joined with his daughter Heidi, will always be a favorite. It was his last musical recording and he shined on it just like he’s shining in heaven now," Dolly reminisced. Randy is survived by his wife Deb, his daughter Heidi, son Sabyn, and grandsons Huston and Trent.
R.I.P.
