Dollywood and the Parton family today are mourning the loss of Randy Parton, Dolly's brother and a longtime performer at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee theme park.
"Randy was a creative force and a good friend," Paige Bales, Director of Dollywood Entertainment said. "He has left a lasting legacy at Dollywood with his talent, his creativity and his leadership. We will all miss him but heaven has gained another star."
In addition to performing for more than 30 years at Dollywood, Randy Parton most recently recorded on "You Are My Christmas" from Dolly’s "Holly Dolly Christmas" album, which released late last year. He also originally recorded the song "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," which hit number one on the country charts when Alabama covered it two years later.
Dolly Parton offered this tribute to her brother, on Instagram:
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.
Randy Parton was 67. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Randy and their father Lee Parton may be made to the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton's program to send free books to millions of children around the nation.
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