Coy "Denver" Parton, an older brother of Dolly Parton, died on Thursday, 23 July 2026, at the age of 82 in Sevierville, Tennessee. An obituary shared by Atchley Funeral Home in Sevierville confirmed the death, without disclosing a cause (Billboard).

The passing drew coverage across Tennessee and national outlets. Knox News, the Knoxville News Sentinel, reported the death on 27 July, as did WBIR-TV, the Knoxville NBC affiliate, WZTV Fox 17 Nashville, and The Oakridger, a Gannett/USA Today Network newspaper.

Coy Denver Parton was one of 12 children born to Lee Parton and Avie Lee Owens Parton in Sevier County, Tennessee. He spent his working life outside the music industry that made his youngest sister famous: he operated cranes building bridges, farmed his homestead, and was an avid hunter, according to the obituary cited by Billboard.

He remained a resident of Sevierville, the county seat of Sevier County, at the time of his death. The funeral home's obituary is published directly on its website (Atchley Funeral Home).

Parton is survived by daughters Chris Parton and Jennifer Parton, grandson Ian Parton and his fiancée Taylor York, brother Bobby Parton, and sisters Willadeene Buzzeo, Dolly Parton, Stella Parton, Cassie Griffith, Freida Parton, Rachel George, and Laura Price. At the time of Billboard's report on 28 July, Dolly Parton had not publicly commented on her brother's death.

Denver Parton's death follows a series of family losses for the Parton siblings. Brother Floyd Parton died in 2018, brother Randy Parton died in 2021 at 67, brother David Parton died in 2024, and Dolly Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025. Yahoo Entertainment noted that Denver Parton's death comes roughly a year after Dean's passing.

The Parton family of Sevier County is one of the most documented in American country music, largely because Dolly Parton's songwriting drew directly on her upbringing among 11 siblings in a two-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Several of her brothers and sisters pursued music careers of their own, though Denver Parton was not among them.