Dolly Parton's brother Floyd Parton has died aged 61.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

The songwriter passed away on December 6 and in an obituary published by Atchley Funeral Home, of Sevierville, Tennessee, he was hailed as "a renaissance man", as well as "man of many talents and areas of knowledge".

The obituary read: "He was an avid outdoorsman and had an abundant knowledge of nature as well as being an incredible cook."

Among the most famous tracks that Floyd penned during his career was 'Rockin' Years', which was recorded by Dolly and Ricky Van Shelton in 1991.

No cause of death has yet been revealed, and Dolly - who is currently in the midst of promoting the soundtrack to the the Netflix drama 'Dumplin'' - has not yet commented on her brother's passing.

Floyd's death comes shortly after the 72-year-old star admitted she feels "grateful" to be alive and that she has no plans to retire because she still enjoys her career so much.

She said: "It'll happen when it happens. That's how I feel. I am grateful that I am still here. So many people have more talent than I've ever dreamed of having that never get to see dreams come true.

"There's a whole lot to be said for loving your work and having confidence in yourself. I never once thought of retiring...

"I just hope I fall dead in the middle of a song, hopefully one I wrote, right on stage. That's the way I go!"

On the other hand, the 'Jolene' hitmaker admitted she would think about slowing down if her husband needed her.

Dolly - who has been married to Carl Thomas Dean since 1966 - shared: "If my husband needed me, or someone in my family, I would put him first. I've always put myself first and my career first, but if something were to happen to him, I would pull back on that."


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