Dolly Parton Gets Candid About Life After Husband’s Death: ‘I’ll Always Miss Him’

Dolly Parton recently opened up about life after the loss of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away in March at 82 years old.

The legendary country artist, 79, appeared on the Friday, May 2, episode of TODAY and reflected on her almost 60-year marriage, explaining to hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin that she has had to adjust to his absence.

“I get very emotional when people bring it up. We were together 60 years. I’ve loved him since I was 18 years old,” the “9 to 5” singer remarked. “It’s a big adjustment, just trying to change patterns and habits. I’ll do fine. I’m very involved in my work, and that’s been the best thing that could have happened to me. But I’ll always miss him, of course, and always love him. He was a great partner to me.”

Guthrie, 53, and Melvin, 45, noted how the couple’s love story was “touching” and “inspiring” for many people, to which the 10-time Grammy Award winner agreed and expressed her gratitude for all the love from fans.

“It was, and I’m so thankful I got so many cards, letters, flowers from all over the world. I had no idea Carl Dean was so famous,” she quipped.

The singer-songwriter also discussed how she shed tears over her late hubby after the annual Dollywood parade in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in March.

“I got very emotional that day after the parade because there was just so much love like that. Right after I had lost Carl, I was just so bottled up with emotion, and I got in the van and just boohooed for the longest time, just feeling all that love and emotion,” she recounted.

Parton and Dean tied the knot in 1966 in Georgia and kept their relationship private throughout the years.

After Dean’s death, the “Jolene” hitmaker took to Instagram to thank the public for their outpouring of love, writing, “This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that.”