Dolly Parton is opening up about the passing of her husband, Carl Dean, and honestly, we’re all just impressed she kept a man for 60 years. That’s longer than most Hollywood marriages combined!
Earlier this month, the 79-year-old music legend and walking rhinestone herself said goodbye to Carl, her elusive husband of nearly six decades, after he passed away at the age of 82. And by “elusive,” we mean the man was basically the Bigfoot of country music—always talked about, rarely spotted.
In a recent interview, Dolly got real about how she’s coping.
“I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him,” she told Knox News, proving that even when grieving, she still finds a way to make our hearts melt like butter on a biscuit.
But don’t let the country queen fool you—she’s tougher than the rhinestones on her outfits.
“I’m doing better than I thought I would,” she admitted. “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.”
And if we know Dolly, that probably means talking to a framed picture of him in a room full of glittery wigs.
“It’s a hole in my heart,” she added, “but we’ll fill that up with good stuff, and he’ll still always be with me.”
Now, Dolly didn’t go into specifics about Carl’s passing, but she did share that he “suffered a great deal.” Given that this man voluntarily listened to every single one of her new song ideas for 60 years, we believe her.
In true Dolly fashion, she honored her late husband with a heartfelt song—because when life gets tough, you don’t just cry… you turn it into a hit single.
Rest easy, Carl. And if there’s a jukebox in heaven, we know who’s controlling it now.
