Dolly Parton Chose Her Funeral Song More Than a Decade Ago & Left an Unreleased Song to Be Heard in 2046

Dolly Parton spent her life turning her own experiences, memories and emotions into music.

Even after death, her songs will continue to tell her story — including two that show just how thoughtfully she considered her musical legacy.

The country music icon, who died Tuesday (Aug.

25) at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, had already decided what song she wanted played at her funeral more than a decade before her death.

And, in true Dolly fashion, she also left behind another song that she specifically instructed would not be heard until her 100th birthday in 2046.

Related Dolly Parton, One of Country Music’s Biggest & Brightest Icons, Dies at 80 Dolly Parton’s 25 Best Songs: Critics’ Picks Dolly Parton’s Top Billboard Hot Country Songs Hits In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly , Parton was asked what song she would want played at her funeral.

While many might have expected “I Will Always Love You” — the song she famously wrote and recorded and then later watched become an even bigger hit through Whitney Houston ‘s rendition — Parton had something more personal in mind.

“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” she told the outlet at the time.

But when it came to the song she actually wanted for her own funeral, she chose “If We Never Meet Again,” an old country-gospel hymn with a particularly meaningful connection to her family.

The song had been her father’s favorite, and it was performed at his funeral.

Parton said she hoped the same song would one day be sung at hers.

The choice is fitting, given the song’s message about separation and the hope of being reunited in the afterlife.

Her funeral plans were indeed something Parton had considered in advance.

Her representatives confirmed Tuesday that she requested a small, private service for immediate family.