After the March 3, 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean, Dolly Parton has spoken out a few times.
One of her latest statements on the 82-year-old’s passing came as she presided over the 40th opening ceremony of Dollywood on March 14.
As she opened the park for the season, Parton appeared in front of a crowd to say she had been “crying enough for the last week or two.” She reassured onlookers that the recent tragedy hasn’t dimmed her joyful outlook.
The “Jolene” singer explained, “I need to laugh. I need to have fun, so I’m probably gonna be stupid,” explaining why she chose to come out and enjoy the park despite the sad way her month began.
Despite her brave demeanor, the singer did acknowledge, “I will always love him, and I miss him.”
Parton first opened the Pigeon Forge theme park on May 3, 1986. It is located a 27-minute drive from her birthplace in Sevierville, TN.
The site is the former home of a park called Rebel Railroad that opened in 1961, per Hey Smokies. It housed two other attractions, Goldrush Junction and Silver Dollar City, before it was transformed by Parton.
Knox News got an interview with Parton, and reports she told them, “I’m doing better than I thought I would. I’ve been with him 60 years. So I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done.”
The platinum-haired songstress added that she will “always keep him close.”
Dolly Parton Hinted Husband Was Sick Before He Died
Although she didn’t delve into specific details, Parton implied to the outlet that Dean had been ill, saying, “I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him.” The outlet reports she then told them Dean had “suffered a great deal.”
When naming her favorite memories of Dean, she mentioned how her elusive husband used to come to the park in a super low-key way, even standing in line to buy his own ticket.
She told Knox he would observe the park and give her suggestions, such as adding more restrooms, or making adjustments to clear crowd congestion in certain areas of the park.
She said now that he’s gone, she would like to walk around the park and try to think like him.
GettyDoes Dolly Parton Have Any Kids?
Parton does not have any biological children, and neither did Dean. However, Parton has many nieces and nephews, thanks to coming from a super-sized family.
Her mother, Avie Lee Owens, gave birth to 12 children between 1940 and 1959. All but one, a baby boy named Larry, survived to adulthood, according to People.
Parton has not spoken much about why she never had kids, but she did once say she and Dean “weren’t doing anything to stop it,” according to Hello! It is unknown whether Parton ever sought fertility treatments.
Parton also stated she doesn’t regret the child-free lifestyle.
“Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, ‘Aren’t you glad we didn’t have kids? Now we don’t have kids to worry about,'” the “Coat of Many Colors” Hello! says the singer told Billboard in 2014.
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How Dolly Parton Really Feels About Loss of Husband (Dollywood Statement)