NEWSDolly Parton Admits Late Husband Carl Dean 'Suffered a Great Deal' Before His Sad Death: 'He's at Peace'
Dolly Parton's late husband, Carl Dean, died on March 3.
Dolly Parton is stronger than she thought!
In a new interview published earlier this week, the "Jolene" singer provided an update on how she's been doing in the weeks since her late husband, Carl Dean, died at age 82 on March 3.
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were married for almost 60 years.
Admitting her longtime lover "suffered a great deal" in the time leading up to his passing, Parton has found some sort of comfort in knowing he's no longer struggling.
"I'm doing better than I thought I would. 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," the country icon expressed while speaking with a news outlet for a piece published on Monday, March 17.
Dolly Parton visited her theme park in her first public appearance since her husband's passing.
"I'm at peace that he's at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him," she explained.
Parton's interview was in line with a celebration for the 40th season of her theme park, Dollywood.
Dolly Parton met Carl Dean when she first moved to Nashville at 18 years old.
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"He used to come to the park; he bought his own ticket — stood in line and got his ticket. He didn’t want somebody giving him a ticket 'cause he was Dolly’s husband. Everybody thinks that’s the funniest thing," she recalled of Dean.
Parton visited Dollywood during her first public appearance since Dean's devastating death, as she welcomed season pass holders to the amusement park for its 40th season on Friday, March 14.
While speaking to fans in-person, Parton declared: "Of course, I will always love him, and I’ll miss him, but I wanted you to know that I will always love you."
"I just want all of you to know how much I appreciate you for everything that’s happened to us in the last several years," she stated. “I just want to take a minute to thank all of you for all the flowers and cards, and the well-wishes, for the loss of Carl. You know how I loved him and he would want me to be working today. I expect to be working."
Parton admitted she's been a bit emotional over the past few weeks.
"I need to laugh. I need some fun, so I’m probably gonna be stupid. I’ve been crying enough the last week or two," she quipped.
Dolly Parton dedicated a song to Carl Dean days after his death.
Dean died years after he was reportedly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019.
Days after his passing, Parton released a sweet song titled "If You Hadn’t Been There" and dedicated it to her late lover.
Knox News interviewed Parton.
