Dolly Parton on Friday made her first public appearance after losing her husband of 59 years earlier this month.
Carl Dean died on March 3. Despite her loss, the country music legend surprised guests at Dollywood’s Celebrity Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in honor of the theme park’s 40th anniversary.
“Of course I will always love him, and I’ll miss him, but I wanted you to know that I will always love you,” Parton told guests, according to 7News.
DOLLY PARTON’S HUSBAND, CARL DEAN, DEAD AT 82
Parton also took to Instagram, sharing a throwback photo of herself on a Ferris wheel. “Hey @dollywood! Here’s to 40 years together,” she wrote, including a red heart emoji. “Dollywood officially opened today for the 2025 season!”
The country star announced her 82-year-old husband had died in Nashville on Instagram.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” she wrote in a statement at the time. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
The country music star later shared a message of thanks.
“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” Parton posted on Instagram. “Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband, Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you, but just know it has meant the world to me.”
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Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family in attendance.
Parton first met Dean at a laundromat when she was 18 and he was 21. They married in 1966. He was rarely seen by Parton’s side but always played a strong supporting role in her life.
“He’s always supporting me as long as I don’t try to drag him in on it,” Parton told People in 2019 at the premiere of her Netflix series, “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings.”
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Parton’s husband served as inspiration for one of the country music star’s biggest hits. Dean caught the eye of a bank teller in the 1970s, leading Parton to write “Jolene.” The tune begs another woman not to take her man and is really “an innocent” song, according to the country crooner.
“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR in 2008. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention,” she recalled. “It was kind of like a running joke between us when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.’ So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”
Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
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