Larry Gerald Parton: What Happened To Dolly Parton’s Brother?

Larry Gerald Parton is a celebrity sibling. He is the brother of singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman Dolly Parton, country music singer-songwriter, actor, and businessman Randy Parton, country singer, and songwriter Stella Parton, and retired singer and actress Rachel Dennison. Larry’s sister Dolly Parton is regarded as one of the best-selling female artists of all time. She has composed more than 5,000 songs throughout her career.

Larry Gerald Parton: Bio Summary

Who Is Dolly Parton’s Brother, Larry?

Larry Gerald Parton is famous as the brother of Dolly Parton. Larry was born on 2 July 1955, in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, USA. He was the 9th of 12 children born to Avie Lee Caroline (née Owens; 1923–2003) and Robert Lee Parton Sr. (1921–2000). His father was also known as “Lee”.

Lee worked in the mountains of East Tennessee, first as a sharecropper and later tending his own small tobacco farm and acreage. He also did construction jobs on the side to supplement the farm’s small income. Larry’s mother, Avie Lee, cared for their large family although she was often unwell. His parents had six girls and six boys.

Larry Gerald Parton has 11 siblings: Willadeene Parton, Stella Mae Parton, Dolly Rebecca Parton, Randel Huston “Randy” Parton, Rachel Ann Parton (Rachel Dennison), twins Floyd Estel Parton and Freida Estelle Parton, David Wilburn Parton, Coy Denver Parton, Cassie Nan Parton, and Robert Lee Parton Jr.

Larry Gerald Parton’s family was poor. Even his sister Dolly Parton has described the family as being “dirt poor”. However, Larry’s life was cut short as he passed away at a very young age. He didn’t have the opportunity to grow up and attend school, get a career of his own, or even get married.

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Although his life was short, his family always included him. On the Dolly Parton Christmas Special, his mother was overheard saying that her husband had given her the gift of six boys and six girls, which included Larry.

Larry Died 4 Days After His Birth

Larry Gerald Parton died in the same month and year that he was born. He was born in July 1955 and died in July 1955. He died just four days after he was born. He died on 6 July 1955, in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, USA. The cause of his death was not disclosed. He was buried at Angel Hill Cemetery, in Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee, USA. He is one of the three Parton siblings who has passed away.

Larry Gerald Parton’s brother Randel Huston “Randy” Parton died on January 21, 2021, at age 67, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, U.S. He died of cancer. His brother Floyd Parton who was a songwriter, composer, and longtime songwriting partner of his sister Dolly Parton, died on 6 December 2018, at age 61, in Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee, USA.

ALSO, READ; Freida Estelle Parton: Facts About Dolly Parton’s Sister

Larry Gerald Parton’s parents are no longer alive. His father Robert Lee Parton died on 12 November 2000, at age 79 of complications from one or more strokes he’d suffered in the weeks that led to his passing. His daughter Dolly Parton remembered when her father secretly clean her hometown statue.

“After my dad died, one of my brothers told me that daddy used to put a big bucket, a big oil drum, of soapy water and a broom in the back of his truck, and late at night he’d go down to the statue and scrub all the pigeon poop off [the statue],” Dolly Parton said. “It touched me. I cried my eyes out.”

Larry’s mother Avie Lee Owens died on 5 December 2003, at age 80. Her daughter Dolly Parton wrote about her in her song, “Coat of Many Colors.” Dolly later revealed that she was finding it difficult to perform “Coat of Many Colors” since her mother’s death.

ALSO READ: Robert Lee Parton Jr.: Where Is Dolly Parton’s Brother Now?

“When she passed away I could not sing that song for probably three to six months without crying when I was singing it,” she said. “Seriously, I could not sing that song without thinking of everything my momma had ever done to make us all feel loved.”