Dolly Parton has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away earlier this month. In an interview with Knox News published on Monday, March 17, Parton revealed that Dean had been struggling before his passing.
“I’m doing better than I thought I would,” Parton said. “We’ve been married for 60 years, so I’ll have to relearn some things, but I’ll always keep him close.”
Parton met Dean in 1964 at a Nashville laundromat and they got married two years later. She shared a heartwarming story about how Dean would often visit her Dollywood theme park without her and insist on buying his own ticket.
“He didn’t want someone giving him a ticket because he was my husband,” Parton said. “Everybody thinks that’s the funniest thing.”
In her first public appearance since Dean’s death, Parton welcomed season pass holders to Dollywood for its 40th season. She paid tribute to her late husband and thanked fans for their well-wishes.
“I’ll always love him and I’ll miss him,” Parton said. “But I want you to know that I’m grateful for everything we’ve been through, including the support of our fans.”
Parton has been open about feeling emotional over the past two weeks but wants to keep moving forward. She recently returned to the red carpet for the premiere of her new symphonic orchestra concert tour, Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony.
Source: https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/dolly-parton-says-husband-carl-dean-suffered-a-great-deal-before-his-death-at-82