Dolly Parton’s brother Coy “Denver” Parton has died at age 82.
Denver died on Thursday, July 23, per an obituary shared by Atchley Funeral Home. An official cause of death was not publicly revealed at the time of publication.
Denver’s obituary noted that he was based in Sevierville, Tennessee, and spent years as a crane operator building bridges. He was also described as a homestead farmer and “avid” hunter, according to his obituary.
“He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn Parton; father, Lee Parton; mother, Avie Lee Owens Parton; infant brother, Larry Parton; older brother, David Parton; younger brothers, Randy and Floyd Parton; niece, Tever Parton; brothers-in-law, Carl Dean and Ray Buzzeo,” the obituary read.
The obituary continued, “Denver is survived by his daughters, Chris Parton and Jennifer Parton; grandson, Ian Parton and fiancée Taylor York; brother, Bobby Parton; sisters, Willadeene Buzzeo, Dolly Parton, Stella Parton; Cassie Griffith (Greg), Freida Parton, Rachel George (Eric), Laura Price (David); sister-in-law, Kay Parton. A host of nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and cousins; special nephew, Mitchell Blalock; special friends, Nancy Hurst and Kathy Farr.”
The obituary indicated that a private service for Denver would be held in the future. Dolly has not publicly addressed her brother’s death.
Nearly two years prior to Denver’s death, Stella shared that their brother David died also at age 82. David, the oldest of the siblings, stayed largely out of the spotlight during his life.
“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,” Stella wrote via X in 2024, adding in a separate post to Facebook, “It’s never easy to lose a loved one. My wonderful brother David Parton passed in the early hours of the morning.”
In another post, Stella shared her appreciation for those who had reached out to share their condolences.
“Thank you for all your kind thoughts to my family as we continue to grieve the loss of our much loved and cherished oldest brother David,” Stella wrote via Facebook at the time.
Through the years, the family opened up about the importance of music while growing up in their household of 12.
“Singing was like breathing at home,” Rachel told People in 1982, recalling the family writing songs only to “transcribe the tunes and have the whole tribe sing them after supper.”
