Dolly Parton has opened up about the death of her husband, Carl Dean, and the secret she’s been keeping from the world regarding his death.
Dean passed away in March
Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, passed away in March of this year, at the age of 82. While the news was a shock to fans, it seems Parton herself knew something was up.
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The star has revealed that Dean was actually secretly very sick before his death.
Parton said he was ill for a long while
In an interview with The Independent published on Wednesday, May 28, Parton said, “I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to.”
“And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it,” she shared.
But she didn’t go into details
Although Parton, 79, opened up about having to help her late husband through severe sickness before his death, she didn’t specify the exact health battle he was facing.
The two were married for nearly 60 years
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were married for almost six decades before his passing, having gotten married on May 30, 1966.
“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday,” she said.
Parton said she still feels his presence
“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,” Parton went on.
“You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans – but that’s the hardest part.”
She released a song in his honor
The couple famously met at a laundromat in Nashville in 1964. After Dean’s death, Parton released the song If You Hadn’t Been There in his honor.
Although the businessman kept out of the spotlight, he was always “very proud” of Parton’s success behind closed doors.
Parton said Dean is ‘ever-present’ with her
The singer said, “So when I did lose him, I just thought, well, I’m going to take all of that energy, and I’m just going to put that back into other things, and I’ll keep him ever-present in everything that I do.”
