Dolly Parton shares emotional reaction to Grand Ole Opry tribute to Carl Dean

Dolly Parton is still grieving the loss of her beloved husband, Carl Dean, who passed away on March 3 at the age of 82. 

The country music legend recently shared her emotional reaction to a tribute performance of her iconic song I Will Always Love You during the Opry 100: A Live Celebration special.

"I have not stopped crying over the beautiful tribute of ‘I Will Always Love You’ on the 100th Anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry show," Parton wrote in an Instagram Stories statement on March 21. 

"All those beautiful people with all their beautiful voices singing my song as a tribute to my husband Carl… the emotion was beyond words."

Parton expressed her gratitude to the performers and fans who made the tribute possible. "I have cried enough to wash a great deal of the pain away so thanks to all of you beautiful people that helped make that possible," she continued. "I also will always love you."

The special performance of I Will Always Love You was led by Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood of Lady A, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood. 

Before the performance, a video message from Parton was played, in which she said, "Well hello, I am Dolly Parton and I am a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry. And I am so sorry that I can't be there with everybody in person, but of course, you know my heart is with you and my spirit is with you."

The performance featured around 50 Grand Ole Opry members and was a heartfelt tribute to Parton and her late husband. 

In a recent conversation with Knox News Sentinel, Parton shared her thoughts on coping with Dean's passing. 

"I'm doing better than I thought I would," she said. "I am at peace that he's at peace" but added that she will "miss him and love him."

Parton also revealed that Dean had suffered greatly before his passing, leaving a "hole in my heart." However, she remains optimistic, saying, "We'll fill that up with good stuff and he'll still always be with me."