Dolly Parton has confirmed the news recently on social media this morning.
Randy Parton, the youngest brother of Dolly Parton, has died after a long battle with cancer. The musician was 67 years old. His sister announced of his death on Facebook Thursday.
“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. 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,”
“Randy was a great singer, writer, and entertainer. He sang, played guitar and bass in my band for many years. 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.”
“‘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.”
Parton stated that Randy is survived by her, his wife Deb, his son Sabyn and his daughter Heidi, as well as his grandsons Trent and Huston. Randy was the eighth of twelve children born to Robert and Avie Lee. While Dolly is the most recognizable of her family, her career could not have been the same without Randy’s place as her main guitarist. As a musician independent of his sister, he scored a few hits himself, including Shot Full of Love and others, which made Top 40s on multiple occasions.
Late in his career, Randy broke up from the famous family ties in order to strike out some etches on his own. However, such projects, due to lack of sales, fell short after only a year.
Dolly announced the news just a few days after celebrating her 75th birthday that was on January 19th.