Dolly Parton Speaks Out in Touching Statement After Husband Carl Dean’s Death: ‘I Will Always Love You’

Dolly Parton spoke out in a note to her supporters after the death of her longtime husband, Carl Thomas Dean.

“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. 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,” Dolly, 79, wrote on Instagram on Thursday, March 6. “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.”

The last line of the statement was in reference to the song “I Will Always Love You,” in which Dolly wrote and recorded in 1973.

Fans flooded the comments section of the post, showing their support for Dolly during her time of grief.

“We love you always, Dolly,” one person wrote, as another person said, “We love you so much! He is in Gods arms! That’s so true.”

“Dolly, you and Carl have earned every bit of love you are receiving from all of us,” another commenter wrote. “The kindness, artistry, and community service you both have provided over the years has meant so much more than you can ever know. You are so beloved by all around the world and I wish there was more we could do to give back to you during this time. I’m sending love and support for you and your family and know that Carl is always in your heart and the hearts of those around you. We love you so much, Dolly.”

The country superstar announced Carl’s death at age 82 in a post shared on her Instagram on Monday, March 3.

“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,” she said at the time. “The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”

Following Carl’s death, a source told Closer that Dolly’s heart is broken, but she plans on keeping her husband’s memory alive in any way she can.

“Dolly’s life will change without Carl in it, but don’t expect her to change much,” the insider said. “She’s not moving away from the home they shared outside of Nashville. She has a lot of beautiful memories there. Carl will live on in her heart and in her music, which he loved.”

The “Jolene” singer married Carl in 1966, two years after they first met outside of a laundromat in Nashville after she had first moved there.

“I’d come to Nashville with dirty clothes,” Dolly told The New York Times in 1976. “I was in such a hurry to get here — and after I’d put my clothes in the machine, I started walkin’ down the street, just lookin’ at my new home, and this guy hollered at me, and I waved. Bein’ from the country, I spoke to everybody. And he came over and, well, it was Carl, my husband.”

“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,'” Carl reflected on his first time meeting Dolly. “My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin.’ And that was the day my life began. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth.”