Dolly Parton is remembering her late husband, Carl Dean, with a new song.
“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him,” Parton, 79, shared via Instagram early Friday, March 7, alongside the cover art for her new track, “If You Hadn’t Been There.”
The artwork features a photograph of a young Parton and Dean with the singer wrapping her arms around her husband, who is seen wearing a white T-shirt.
The ballad contains emotional lyrics such as, “I wouldn’t be here / If you hadn’t been there.” On the second verse, Parton sings, “If you hadn’t been, well, who would I be? You always see the best of me.”
Parton announced on Monday, March 3, that Dean had died at age 82 in Nashville. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this “difficult time.”
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” she announced via Instagram. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
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A cause of death has not been revealed, but the statement declared that Dean would be “laid to rest in a private ceremony.” He is survived by Parton and his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie. (The Associated Press was the first to report the news.)
On Thursday, March 6, Parton thanked fans for their support and shared how she is coping with the death of her husband.
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“This is a love note to family, friends and fans. Thank you or all the messages, cards and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl,” the singer shared in an Instagram statement. “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.”
Parton married Dean in 1966, two years after they met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat on the same day she moved to Nashville to begin her music career.
Throughout her years as a country star, Parton wrote several songs about Dean, including “Tomorrow is Forever.” The song was originally released in 1970 for a duet album with Porter Wagoner. She rerecorded the song in 2016 for her Pure & Simple album, focused primarily on love songs.
