Dolly Parton Mourns The Death Of Her Beloved Husband

Dolly Parton recently shared that her husband, Carl Dean, was “ill” for some time before he passed away.

Carl and Dolly married in Ringgold, Georgia, on May 30, 1966. As she became a country music megastar, Carl lived a private life out of the spotlight.

While Carl didn’t attend public events with Dolly and was rarely photographed, she often spoke about him and their love for each other. Several of her songs were inspired by Carl, including one of her most iconic tunes, “Jolene.”

After nearly 59 years of marriage, Dolly shared the heartbreaking news that Carl passed away on March 3, 2025, at the age of 82. She says living without the man she loved for six decades has been quite the adjustment.

“I’ve been staying busy, which that’s always better for me,” she said in a recent interview. “But of course, when you lose someone you love, and when you’ve been with him for 60 years, that’s a big loss, and you just have to learn new patterns, new ways, new thoughts, and all that. And I’ll always miss him. I try to bring him in to all the things I’m doing, and kind of just try to make friends with the emptiness and try to think, well, I’m gonna fill it with this or fill it with that. And I’ll always fill that space with love.”

Dolly Parton Reveals That Carl Dean Was “Ill” For Some Time Before His Death

In October 2022, Dolly shocked the world when she announced her retirement from touring. She made it clear she wasn’t completely done performing but would no longer embark on “full-blown” tours.

“I’ve done that my whole life, and it takes so much time and energy,” she shared then. “I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband. We’re getting older now, and I don’t want to be gone for four or five weeks at a time. Something could happen. I would not feel right about that, if I were gone and somebody needed me. Or I would feel bad if I had to leave a tour if somebody got sick at home and needed me and then I had to walk out on the fans.”

Now, fans wonder if Dolly made that decision because Carl was already in poor health at the time.

Dolly’s decision to step back from touring allowed her to be with Carl more often in the last years of his life. As she shared in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight:

“He did suffer a lot for the last few years, and there’s a part of me that’s happy he’s at peace and at rest. But then of course, there’s that part of me that will miss him forever and long for him every day. For the rest of my life, I’m sure.”

Even more recently, Dolly opened up to The Associated Press about her husband’s passing and how she’s coping. She shared that Carl Dean had been “ill for quite a while” before he died.

Dolly says she’s now “at peace because he’s at peace,” but adds, “that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.” She leans on her faith to help her through, saying:

“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday. And I see him 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. You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans, but that’s the hardest part.”

Those new plans include some new music, such as the song “If You Hadn’t Been There.” Dolly released the track a few days after Carl died and dedicated it to him. You can listen to the song below.

Our hearts and prayers are with Dolly during this difficult time…