Dolly Parton Details ‘Big Adjustment’ Following Husband’s Death

Published: May 6, 2025

By India McCarty

Dolly Parton recently got “very emotional” as she opened up about life after the death of her husband, Carl Dean.

“I get very emotional when people bring it up,” Parton said during an appearance on TODAY. “But we were together 60 years. I’ve loved him since I was 18 years old.”

She continued, “It’s a big adjustment just trying to change patterns and habits. I’ll do fine, and 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 always love him. He was a great partner to me.”

Parton also shared her gratitude for the love and support she felt from fans around the world following Dean’s death.

“I’m so thankful. I’ve gotten so many cards, letters, flowers, from all over the world,” she said, joking. “I had no idea Carl Dean was so famous.”

Parton shared the news of Dean’s passing in March in a statement, saying, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

In an interview with Knox News, Parton said she was “doing better than I thought I would,” adding, “I’ve been with him 60 years. So, I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done. But I’ll keep him always close.”

She shared she was “at peace that he’s at peace” but said she would continue “missing him and loving him.”

Parton and Dean wed in 1966, and, while she never shied away from the spotlight of the music business, Dean was notorious for his dislike of attention.

“He’s like a quiet, reserved person, and he figured if he ever got out there in that, he’d never get a minute’s peace — and he’s right about that,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2020.

The country star recently dedicated a new song to her late husband, titled “If You Hadn’t Been There.”

“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” Parton wrote. “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.”