Dolly Parton has said that she is “doing better” than expected following the passing of her husband Carl Thomas Dean.
The country legend shared the news earlier this month that her husband of nearly 60 years had died at the age of 82. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” she wrote in a heartfelt tribute. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
Now, in a new interview with Knox News, Parton has given an update on how she is doing following the tragic news.
“I’m doing better than I thought I would,” she said. “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 added that Dean “suffered a great deal” towards the end of his life, adding, “I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him… It’s a hole in my heart, you know, but we’ll fill that up with good stuff and he’ll still always be with me.”
Parton and Dean began dating in 1964, tying the knot two years later. Despite the lengthy relationship, Dean was an elusive figure for the most part and he was rarely seen out in public or in photographs alongside his wife.
Soon after the news broke, she released the poignant new single ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’ in honour of her late husband and described the significance he had in her life and his role in helping her become the person she is today.
Last week, Parton made her first public appearance since his passing, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her Dollywood theme park at Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. In a quick message to her friends and fans, she thanked everyone “for all the flowers and cards, and the well-wishes”.
Remembering Carl Dean, she referenced her hit song ‘I Will Always Love You’: “You know I loved him. Of course, I’m going to always love him… and I will always love you.” She also noted that Dean’s death will likely not affect her productivity: “He would want me to be working today. I expect to be working.”
Later on, she performed an acoustic rendition of ‘Celebrate The Dreamer In You’.
In other Parton news, she has also revealed the ground rules she laid down with Sabrina Carpenter before they recorded their collaborative version of her 2024 hit ‘Please, Please, Please’: “I told her, I said, ‘Now, I don’t cuss, I don’t make fun of Jesus. I don’t talk bad about God, and I don’t say dirty words on camera, but known to if I get mad enough’”.
