Dolly Parton’s older brother, David Parton, has passed away, according to a social media post from their sister, Stella Parton. Stella shared the news on Friday morning, saying, “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.”
David was 82 years old at the time of his death. Born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton, he was one of Dolly’s 11 siblings. While many of Parton’s siblings pursued careers in entertainment, David lived his life out of the spotlight.
This marks the fourth death of Dolly’s brothers. In the past, she has spoken about the challenges of growing up in a large family and the heartache that comes with losing loved ones. Parton once 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.’ 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.”