Newlywed Lainey Wilson Shares The Valuable Lesson Dolly Parton Taught Her About Marriage
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After Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, Lainey Wilson was too heartbroken to put her grief into words. She initially shared a post on her Instagram Story with a picture of her hugging Dolly, but she didn’t write a caption.
You can see that image below.
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Then, on August 27, Lainey shared more photos of her and Dolly together through the years. She also included a few clips of their past collaborations, including Dolly’s reimagined version of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
This time, Lainey wrote a lengthy and emotional caption, saying:
“My Dolly…I felt like you were my friend before we even met.. you made everybody feel that way. But once we became friends, boy did we have a lot to talk about…”
Lainey shared that Dolly called her just a couple of weeks before she died. They talked about the music business and the Bible, with Lainey saying:
“You also told me to take my time reading the book of Revelation and that I might need to go on back to Psalms for a minute to catch my breath.”
They also talked about marriage. Dolly had been married to her husband, Carl Dean, for nearly 59 years before he passed away in March 2025. Lainey is a newlywed, having married Devlin “Duck” Hodges on May 10, 2026.
Lainey relayed the valuable lesson Dolly taught her about marriage:
“…you told me that ‘it’s all great and stuff that Duck lets you be you, but you better make sure you let Duck be himself too.'”
Lainey continued to celebrate the “love and light” that Dolly brought to the world. She expressed her gratitude that “the Lord gave [Dolly] a gift,” which she shared with us all.
“I can’t wait to see you again,” Lainey wrote at the end of her post, “and I know when I hug your neck in heaven someday you are still gonna be saying, ‘don’t mess up hair, Lainey girl.’ I will always love you, my friend.”
See Lainey Wilson’s post about her last phone call with Dolly Parton below.
Lainey Wilson & Dolly Parton Once Sang “I Will Always Love You” Together
In addition to collaborating on the remake of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” with Reba McEntire, Miley Cyrus, and Queen Latifah, Lainey Wilson and Dolly Parton previously sang another song together.
Dolly hosted a “Pet Gala” TV special on CBS in 2024. The program showcased some fashionable pets and entertaining performances from artists such as Carly Pearce and Chris Janson.
At one point, Lainey joined Dolly onstage to sing a duet version of “I Will Always Love You.” That moment was definitely a highlight of the night.
Dolly had released an official duet version of “I Will Always Love You” with Vince Gill in 1995. Earlier this year (2026), Lainey united with Vince onstage at the Grand Ole Opry to perform the song in honor of Dolly’s 80th birthday.
Their duet was already meaningful. But now that Dolly is no longer with us, it means a little something more. You can watch that video below.
We know that people like Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson will do everything they can to keep Dolly Parton’s legacy alive…
