Lainey Wilson Shares The Advice Dolly Parton Gave Her About Husband 'Duck'

Wilson has previously shared a glimpse into her friendship with Parton. She said in November 2023, when she won the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year honor, "any time I get to spend with her, it's incredible. You know how everybody says, 'don't meet your heroes?' Well, I'll tell you what, that's not Dolly Parton. She's everything that I could've imagined, and everything that I think everybody needs to strive to be."

Earlier this year, Wilson spoke at a press event about Parton and "the banter that me and her have. …I feel like I've known her in another lifetime." Wilson nodded to about Parton's sense of humor, including the rumor that Parton jokingly said she'd start about Wilson andSnoop Dogg.

Around the time of that press event, Wilson had just joined Parton - and Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire, plus David Foster on piano and The Christ Church Choir on background vocals - on a new version of Parton's '70s classic, "Light of a Clear Blue Morning." Parton released the new version to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It also arrived in time for her 80th birthday. Proceeds supported pediatric cancer research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. Wilson said earlier this year, "it's huge for her to tip her hat to me like that, by allowing me to be on this incredible song that has stood the test of time. That does mean so much."

"I wrote 'Light of a Clear Blue Morning ' during a season when I was searching for hope, and fifty years later that message still feels just as true," Parton said in a statement when the new version made its debut in January. "As I celebrate my 80th birthday, this new version is my way of using what I've been blessed with to shine a little light forward, especially by sharing it with some truly incredible women."

The official announcement on Tuesday stated that "Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 - 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 - 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 - 2000). …At Dolly's request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly's fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library."