NEWSDolly Parton Dedicates New Song 'If You Hadn't Been There' to Late Husband Carl Dean Days After His Death
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean tied the knot in 1966.
Just four days after Carl Dean’s death, Dolly Parton has put her feelings into a new song.
On Friday, March 7, the country star, 79, released “If You Hadn’t Been There,” which she dedicated to her late husband, who passed away on Monday, March 3.
Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Dean, passed away on Monday, March 3.
In an Instagram post announcing the track, Parton affectionately penned, “I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. 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.”
In the opening line of the record, the Grammy winner sings, “If you hadn't been there / Where would I be?”
The lovers had been married for nearly 60 years before his passing at age 82.
Elsewhere in the tune, Parton praised Dean’s “trust, love and belief,” despite the “ups and downs” they experienced in their partnership.
Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Dean, stayed out of the spotlight throughout her decades-long career.
“If you hadn't been you / Well, who would I be?” she adds, thanking Dean for “always see[ing] the best in me.”
Parton also recalled how her spouse’s “loving arms have cradled me” and “held me close.”
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As OK! previously reported, a source revealed that Dean was struggling with Alzheimer’s before he died.
"Dolly will enter a room to talk to Carl, and she sometimes sees a look of bewilderment on his face, like he doesn’t know where he is or even who she is," the insider claimed in 2022, noting that he was diagnosed in 2019.
Dolly Parton said she and Carl Dean's love story will 'never end' thanks to her new song, 'If You Hadn't Been There.'
"The disease has shattered Dolly’s dreams about what their golden years would be. She’s frightened it’s only going to get worse," the source continued of the songstress, who announced her husband’s death via an Instagram post.
In the upload, Parton wrote, "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.”
"He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie," she added.
Following his demise, another source claimed the blonde beauty feels she wasn’t there for Dean as much as she wished.
Dolly Parton praised Carl Dean's 'trust, love and belief' throughout their marriage.
"Dolly carries a lot of guilt she didn't get to spend enough time with Carl during their marriage," they stated.
"Carl was a real homebody, who never liked attention," the insider explained. "He's only attended three of her concerts. There were times in their marriage when they only saw each other eight weeks in a whole calendar."
