Dolly Parton admitted that her first year without husband Carl Dean had been “hard” just months before her family announced that the country music icon had passed away at age 80.
Parton lost Dean in March 2025 after nearly 60 years of marriage. In May 2026, she spoke candidly about adjusting to life without her longtime husband and experiencing major milestones for the first time without him.
“I want you to know also that a lot of you have been concerned about me and Carl, and you were so great about that,” Parton said in an Instagram video. “But after going through a year of firsts, I mean the holidays, and especially our wedding anniversary, and the date of his death, March 3, that was hard for me.”
Parton said she would never stop loving or missing Dean.
“But I will always love him, and I will always miss him, but you would be surprised at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time,” she said.
On August 25, Parton’s nephew, Brian Seaver, announced in a video posted to her Instagram account that she had passed away. He did not provide details surrounding her passing.
Dolly Parton Said Fans Were a ‘Big Part of My Healing’ After Losing Carl Dean
Parton credited her fans with helping her through the difficult year after Dean’s passing.
She recalled receiving so many flowers, cards and letters that they filled her home.
“Lord, my house and my porch looked like the botanical gardens with all the flowers, and my den looked like the post office with all the cards and letters,” Parton said. “So, yes, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you; you have been a big part of my healing.”
Even while discussing the difficult subject, Parton shared a story that showed the humor she and Dean had throughout their marriage.
“I remember back years ago, I was saying something, I was griping about something hurting, and Carl said, ‘Now, honey, you know you’ve got to remember you’re not getting any younger,’” Parton recalled. “I said, ‘Well, honey, you’ve got to remember that as long as there are plastic surgeons in this world, I’m not getting any older.’”
Parton laughed as she told the story, but acknowledged that the health problems she was experiencing were more serious.
While “plastic surgeons can make you look as good as you can on the outside,” Parton said, “it’s serious business when you’re talking about internal medicine.”
Parton Faced Health Challenges During Her First Year Without Her Husband
Parton had been dealing with several health issues while adjusting to life without Dean.
She announced in May that her rescheduled Las Vegas residency had been canceled. Parton had previously postponed the shows in 2025 because of health challenges and revealed that she had experienced recurring kidney stones.
“Lord, they dig more stones out of me a year than the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee,” Parton said. “But seriously, my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple three years, and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those and hopefully I’ll be up to snuff again soon.”
Parton also said she had been “responding really well to meds and treatments,” although dizziness prevented her from returning to “stage performance level.”
She reassured fans that she had “great doctors” who told her “everything is treatable.”
Dolly Parton’s Nephew Fulfilled a Request She Made Years Earlier
Seaver announced the news about his aunt on August 25 and revealed that Parton had planned for him to deliver the message years earlier.
“My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” Seaver said.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it til now.”
Seaver said Parton “lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others.”
Parton and Dean met at a Nashville laundromat when she was 18 and married in 1966. While Parton spent decades in the spotlight, Dean largely avoided public events and remained out of show business.
After Dean’s passing, Parton summed up their relationship in a tribute shared on Instagram.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” she wrote. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
