"I'm doing better than I thought I would" - Dolly Parton on life after death of husband Carl Dean

On March 3, 2025, mere weeks ago, country music icon Dolly Parton lost her partner Carl Dean. The tragic passing of her late husband of nearly 60 years left Parton in shambles until she arrived at the opening of Dollywood’s 40th season on March 14, a move that surprised many of her fans.

While on stage as part of her traditional appearance at the opening ceremony, Parton confided in her audience “I will always love him, and I miss him” while simultaneously showing gratitude for all the warm wishes for her loss. After reportedly ignoring the teleprompter on several occasions she opened up further to all in attendance,

“I need to laugh. I need some fun, so I’m probably gonna be stupid. I’ve been crying enough the last week or two.”

It’s clear that Parton is devastated by Dean’s absence, but is attempting to persevere through her loss with the help of those who’ve come to adore her as a musician and human being over the years. After her appearance at Dollywood’s 40th, she also stated,

“I’m doing better than I thought I would”

as part of an interview with local press affiliate Knox News.

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Parton Opens up to Knox News

After first acknowledging that she’s in a better place than she could have expected considering the news, Parton went on to say, “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.” Parton met Dean when she was 18 years old the day she moved to Nashville to forge a path for herself as a country music star. The couple then married two years later in 1966 and did not have any children.

Parton continued to open up Know News about her current mindset.

“I'm at peace that he's at peace, but that doesn't keep me from missing him and loving him. He suffered a great deal.” She went on to add, “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 then went on to share that even though her late husband was a very private man, he would make clandestine appearances at Dollywood to support his wife.

“He used to come to the park; he bought his own ticket – stood in line and got his ticket. He didn't want somebody giving him a ticket ‘cause he was Dolly’s husband. Everybody thinks that's the funniest thing.”

Dean would also make sure to never make an appearance when Dolly was present, and always gave his insights as to what could be improved at the festival.

“He'd come up to East Tennessee to see some of my family and people that he loved of my people. And so, he'd just think, ‘Well, I think I'll go to Dollywood, check things out,’”

She continued,

“He would say, ‘You need more bathrooms,’ or he would say, ‘You need to tell them this or that. It's crowded over in that area. You might want to tell them they ought to do this or that.’ He wasn't coming to criticize, but he would notice things and he would say, you might want to bring this to their attention.”

Parton capped off the interview by saying her perfect day at Dollywood would be to take it in like Carl; simply walk around and enjoy the fruits of her labor as a fly on the wall instead of in her usual role up at the center of the proceedings.