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Dolly Parton shared a heartfelt statement in her first post since she confirmed her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, has died. He was 82.
“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” Parton said in a new statement on Thursday (March 6). “Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”
Parton, 79, announced on Monday evening (March 3) that Dean passed away in Nashville, Tennessee. She said her husband would be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family in attendance. The family asked for privacy as they mourn Dean’s loss. Parton said at the time: “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.”
The beloved country star has since received an outpouring of condolences from fans and fellow artists, including Tanya Tucker, Lee Brice, Lainey Wilson, Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, the family of late legend Loretta Lynn, and many more.
Parton met Dean on her first day in Nashville, Tennessee, where she moved to pursue her dreams after growing up in East Tennessee. They met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat in Nashville, and got married in a “simple” and “private” Georgia wedding on May 30, 1966.
Just a few months before losing Dean, Parton shared rare details about the couple’s decades-long relationship in a conversation with Bunnie Xo on her podcast, Dumb Blonde. Parton said at that time that a boyfriend was “the last thing” she wanted when she first moved to Nashville, but she quickly met Dean and spent 60 years with him.
“He’s a good guy. He’s quiet and I’m loud. We’re funny — oh, he’s hilarious — and I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years, we love each other. We respect each other. But we have a lot of fun,” Parton said. “Any time things get too — too much tension going on, either one of us can find a joke about it to where it’ll break the tension. …We never fought back and forth. And I’m glad now that we never did because once you start that, that becomes a lifetime thing. I’ve seen it in so many people. And I thought, ‘I will never start that.’ I couldn’t bear to think that he’d say something I couldn’t take. It would hurt because I’m a very sensitive person, toward other people and myself.
“He’s good,” she said. “Everybody loves Carl.”