The star wrote a moving message on Instagram to her beloved sibling, alongside a happy photograph of the pair on stage together.

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"My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time," she began.

"We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family that have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms."

The singer added: "Randy was a great singer, writer, and entertainer. He sang, played guitar and bass in my band for many years. He headed his own show at Dollywood since it opened in 1986. He's had several chart records of his own, but his duet with me on Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You will always be a highlight in my own career.

"You Are My Christmas, our duet on my latest Christmas album, joined with his daughter Heidi, will always be a favorite. It was his last musical recording and he shined on it just like he's shining in heaven now," she continued.

"He is survived by his wife Deb, his daughter Heidi, son Sabyn, grandsons Huston and Trent. We will always love him and he will always be in our hearts... Those wishing to honor Randy may donate to the Imagination Library in honor of both Randy and our father, Robert Lee Parton."

Dolly is famously one of 12 siblings, with many of them big names in their own right in the music industry. Sadly, the star's brother Larry died shortly after birth in 1955, and Floyd Parton, her long-time songwriting partner, passed away in 2018 at the age of 61.