Dolly Parton Makes First Public Appearance Since Husband’s Death

Country megastar Dolly Parton made her first public appearance since the death of her beloved husband Carl Dean earlier this month, appearing at the opening of Dollywood’s 40th season on Friday morning in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Parton opened the event by thanking guests for their love and support. According to local news station WVLT, she told the crowd, “I just want to say thank you and I love you for all the flowers, cards and well wishes,” before continuing with a reference to her 1973 ballad, “I Will Always Love You”: “I just wanted you to know that of course, I will always love him. I will miss him, and of course I will always love you.”

Dean, who Parton met in 1964 before marrying in 1966, died on March 3 at the age of 82. In a statement shared to Instagram, Parton wrote, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

Shortly after his passing, Parton released a song dedicated to him titled “If You Hadn’t Been There.” Announcing the song on social media, she wrote, “I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”

In an older interview with E! News, Parton shared that Dean fell in love with her before she became a star; as a result, while he was proud of her achievements, “that’s not how he sees me.”

She continued, “To have someone there in your corner and you know they love you for just who are, and not what you do and not what other people think you are… there’s a great comfort in that knowing that someone loves you exactly for who you are.”