Dolly Parton breaks silence after husband’s death: 'I will always love you'

Dolly Parton is saying goodbye to her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, after he passed away.

Taking to her Instagram on Thursday, March 6, the Queen of Country expressed gratitude for the outpouring of kindness following Dean’s passing at age 82.

“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” Parton, 79, wrote. “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.”

She continued, “He is in God’s arms now, and I am okay with that. I will always love you,” referencing her beloved 1973 hit.

Dean passed away on March 3 in Nashville, survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.

Parton reflected on their decades-long love in a separate statement following his death, writing, “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.”

Dean, a Nashville native, met Parton at a laundromat in 1964. “That was the day my life began,” he said in a rare statement to Entertainment Tonight in 2016.

The pair wed in 1966, but Dean largely stayed out of the public eye, despite his wife’s superstardom.