‘I Really Feel His Presence’: Dolly Parton Opens Up About Her Life After Her Husband’s Death
Plus, details on what the singer has been doing over the last couple of months
Two months after the death of her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, country music legend Dolly Parton is opening up about his final days. The “Jolene” singer revealed that Dean was “ill for quite a while,” and even though she is still heartbroken, she is happy to know that he is “not suffering anymore.” Keep scrolling to read the singer’s entire statement.
Dolly Parton opens up about her husband’s death
On Wednesday, May 28, Parton sat down with The Independent, sharing previously unknown details about her husband’s death, including how she has been doing since then.
“I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to,” the 79-year-old singer told the outlet. “He was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.”
She also said that no matter what, Dean was always “very proud” of her.
Continued Parton, “So when I did lose him, I just thought, well, I’m going to take all of that energy, and I’m just going to put that back into other things, and I’ll keep him ever-present in everything that I do.”
Dean died Monday, March 3. He was 82 and had been married to Parton for almost 60 years.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton said in a statement on Instagram at the time of his death. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
A look at Dolly Parton’s life since Carl Thomas Dean’s passing
Since her husband’s death, Parton has made several public appearances and announced her newest book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, which will be released in November 2025.
“[It’s] a celebration of my journey as a performer, filled with personal stories, cherished memories, and never-before-seen photos from more than seven decades on stage,” the singer said of the book. “
It was also recently announced that her Tennessee-based amusement park, Dollywood, has been named the best theme park in the country by the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) for the third consecutive year.
“Thank you to our guests and the community for the support they’ve given to my Dollywood for 40 years,” Parton said of Dollywood back in March at the opening of their 2025 season. “It’s hard to believe it has been that long, but it never would have lasted if it hadn’t been for you, our guests.”
That event was Parton’s first public appearance following the passing of Thomas.
No matter what she’s doing, though, the singer did share with The Associated Press in May that she still sees her late husband “every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together.”
“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday,” she continued. “So when I did lose him, I just thought, well, I’m going to take all of that energy, and I’m just going to put that back into other things, and I’ll keep him ever-present in everything that I do.”
Along with everything else, Parton has remained very active on her social media accounts, which you can check out here.
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