Dolly Parton marks first public appearance since her husband’s death with touching tribute
In her first public appearance since the passing of her husband, Carl Dean, country music superstar Dolly Parton opened up about her deep love for him and the immense loss she feels.
Parton recently shared the devastating news of her husband’s passing at the age of 82.
“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,” Parton said in a statement on Monday, March 3.
On Friday, March 14, during a public appearance at a preview event for Dollywood season passholders ahead of the theme park’s 40th season opening in Tennessee, Parton delivered a moving tribute to her late husband.
“You know how I loved him, and he would want me to be working today. I expect to be working,” she told those in attendance.
“I just wanted you to know that of course I will always love him, and I’ll miss him, but I wanted you to know that I will always love you.”
Parton’s moving words come after she recently took to Instagram to offer her “love” to fans while sharing how much it meant to her for all their messages of love and support.
“This is a love note to family, friends and fans,” she began.
“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 OK with that.
“I will always love you.”
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Parton met her husband back in 1964 in a laundromat in Nashville when she had first moved into town, she was 18 and he was 21.
“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton said of their first meeting.
“He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
It was love at first sight for the pair who dated for two years before tying the knot.
During a previous appearance on the Dumb Blonde podcast, Parton revealed the key to their long-lasting marriage.
“He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny. Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other and we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun,” she said.
“Anytime there’s too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far.
“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 with so many people, and I thought, ‘I ain’t ever starting that.’ I couldn’t bear to think that he’d say something I couldn’t take … because I’m a very sensitive person toward other people and myself.”
-with BANG.
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