Country

Country singer/songwriter and Grand Ole Opry member Scotty McCreery is going through a heartbreaking loss, as he revealed that both his grandmothers — Janet and Paquita — died just hours apart on Wednesday.
In a statement on Instagram, McCreery wrote, “My heart is absolutely broken. Yesterday, both my Grandma Janet and my Grandma Paquita passed away. I think I am still in a bit of shock as I type this, but I’m choosing to remember the great memories we all made with both of them. There really are too many to count.”

McCreery also noted memories of spending time with his grandmother Janet visiting the Outer Banks. He also recalled visiting his grandmother Paquita in Puerto Rico, and recalled making memories with his grandmothers at a backyard pool in Pinehurst, North Carolina, or on a farm in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

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“Both of them truly taught me what love is all about. I will miss them dearly. If y’all could keep my family in your prayers I’d appreciate it,” McCreery added in the post.

McCreery’s mother Judy also made a public post on her Facebook page, writing, “My precious mom, age 85, passed away yesterday at WakeMed, shortly after 1 p.m. She had been battling norovirus & the flu, which led to dehydration and pneumonia. My heart is broken. I have to accept it was her time. This is hard to fathom, but we also lost [her husband] Mike’s mom, Paquita, yesterday, a few hours later at 4 p.m. She was 93 and had been in declining health,” adding, “Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Paquita joined McCreery and other family members on an episode of the game show Celebrity Family Feud in 2018 and charmed viewers with her humor.

McCreery, who has placed five chart-topping songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, released his current album Rise & Fall in 2024, and just launched the SiriusXM show Prime Country With Scotty McCreery this month, on SiriusXM’s Prime Country channel.

Dolly Parton has revealed she’s stepping back from songwriting in the wake of her husband Carl Dean’s death on March 3, sharing that she’s not yet ready to embrace the deep emotions that writing brings.

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The country legend opened up about her decision during an appearance on Khloé Kardashian’s Khloé in Wonder Land podcast, where she reflected on her creative process and how grief has affected it.

“My husband passed away three months ago… Several things I’ve wanted to start, but I can’t do it. I will later, but I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas. But I think I won’t finish it.”

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Parton continued, “I can’t do it right now because I’ve got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now. So there are times like that, things like that that will start here a little bit, but I’ll write something else, though, if it comes. So I’m just putting that all on hold.”

Parton also spoke passionately about her lifelong love for songwriting, calling it her “joy” despite being her career. “It happens just to be my job, but it is also my joy,” she said.

Dean passed away in March at age 82. The couple shared one of music’s most enduring love stories, having first met outside a Nashville laundromat the day Parton arrived in the city to pursue her dreams. They married two years later and stayed together for more than six decades.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton wrote on social media following his death. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

Despite the hiatus, Parton has stayed busy with projects including her Dolly: An Original Musical and various philanthropic ventures. Still, she made it clear that when the time is right, her pen will find its way back to paper.

“Everything begins with a story or a song… I think that’s one of the reasons I love to write, because I feel like I’m so connected to God right then,” she said.