Dolly Parton’s niece Rebecca Seaver has described the late country music icon as her “best friend” and “most trusted confidant” in a tribute following her death at 80.
Seaver, 39, shared a series of family photos on Instagram on Tuesday, Aug. 25, after Parton’s death was announced by her brother Bryan Seaver earlier that day. Parton died after a “brief battle with cancer,” although the type of cancer was not disclosed.
Reflecting on losing her aunt, Seaver wrote, “Today, the grief we feel is insurmountable because of the enormous amount of love we all have for Dolly Rebecca Parton. She has always been the light, not just for those directly in her orbit but for the entire world.” 
Seaver, the daughter of Parton’s sister Cassie, said she was now facing “a new journey” without the person she relied on most.
“A life without my most trusted confidant. My best friend, my favorite adventurer, my name-giver, my godmother, my precious Aunt Granny,” she wrote.
Seaver also said she believed Parton was now at peace with her late husband, Carl Dean, and her mother, Avie Lee.
“I know she has been welcomed into the mystic by Carl and my Mamaw Avie Lee. She is now on her most important celestial journey with God and I know she is at peace,” she wrote.
Seaver has been closely involved in preserving her aunt’s legacy. She established the official Dolly Parton archive, curated Parton’s book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones and served as executive director of Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum.
In her tribute, she said continuing to tell Parton’s story would be one way of honouring her.
“I am so grateful to have experienced the magic of her presence in my life and in all of yours. It is my absolute honor to pay tribute to her today, and always, by telling her beautiful story,” Seaver wrote. “Her legacy is the joy she brought and will continue to bring to all of us.”
She also urged people to remember that grief and joy can exist at the same time.
“This is a celebration of a beautiful life, lived unapologetically and with the most incredible heart,” she wrote. “She never left a rhinestone or a dream unturned, and I am so proud to carry those shining dreams forward.”
Parton was admitted to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on Friday, Aug. 21, four days before her death. She had previously acknowledged dealing with health problems, including kidney and autoimmune issues.
