It’s now been almost three weeks since Dolly Parton announced the death of Carl Dean, her husband of more than five decades. The singer has already made her first public appearance since losing him — at Dollywood’s 2025 opening day last Friday (March 14) — and she even greeted fans at the event,

Dolly Parton said she’s “doing better than I thought I would,” weeks after losing her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean. But “that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him.” Parton, 79, spoke about her late husband in an interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel when she appeared at a recent event for season pass holders at Dollywood,

Dolly Parton announced that she was retiring from touring to spend more time at home with her husband, Carl Dean. “They were in love until the very end,” says a friend of the couple. “They gave each other exactly what the other needed.