Dolly Parton is opening up about the loss of her husband, Carl Dean. Dean was 82 years old when he passed away on March 2.
Parton was just 18 years old when she met Dean, marrying him two years later. Now 79, Parton is still getting used to life without her longtime love.
“I get very emotional when people bring it up,” Parton says on the Today Show. “We were together 60 years. I’ve loved him since I was 18 years old, and it’s a big adjustment just trying to change patterns and habits. I’ll do fine. I’m very involved in my work, and that’s been the best thing that could happen to me. But I’ll always miss him, of course, and I’ll always love him.”
For Parton, the show must go on, which is why she still partipated in the parade to celebrate the 40th season of Dollywood, only a couple of weeks after Dean passed away. Fans lined up to cheer Parton on, an occasion that touched Parton deeply.
“I got very emotional that day after the parade because there was just so much love like that,” Parton remembers. “And it was right after I had lost Carl, and I was just so bottled up with emotion, and I just got in the van and just boo-hooed for the longest time, just feeling all that love and emotion,”
Parton released “If You Hadn’t Been There” shortly after Dean’s passing, a song that honors their enduring romance.
“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” Parton says of the song. “We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”
Parton will be honored with a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will open on May 20, and remain open until September 2026.
“Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame was one of the greatest moments of my life, and being able to have a personal exhibit for the fans that put me there is a very big deal to me,” Parton says of the honor. “This seeker is very proud and honored, and I hope you enjoy my journey. I will always love you.”
An accompanying book, Dolly Parton: Journey Of A Seeker, will be released on May 20, and is available for pre-order here.
Parton is still hard at work, even amid her grief. Her Dolly: An Original Musical will open on Broadway in 2026, after first premiering in Nashville this summer.
“It just seemed natural and right for me to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, ’cause I’m Tennessee-born and Tennessee-raised,” Parton explains. “We will be doing lots of songs that you know in the musical. But I’ve written a whole lot of original songs, and I’m having a whole lot of fun.”
Find all of Parton’s music and business ventures at DollyParton.com.
Photo Credit: NBC / Katherine Bomboy