It is hard not to love Dolly Parton, and that is why it is so very hard not to hurt for her, too, when she talks about her late husband, Carl Dean.
Dean died back on March 3 at the age of 83.
The two were together for more than 60 years, and it is very clear that Parton is still hurting — and always will be — when she talks about him. And the 79-year-old country music legend revealed earlier this year just what that pain might mean for the future of her country music career.
Songwriting, at least for the foreseeable future, is just too emotional for her to dive into.
“My husband passed away three months ago …” Parton said during a recent appearance on Khloé Kardashian’s “Khloé in Wonder Land” podcast. “Several things I wanted to start, but I can’t do it. I will later, but I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas. But I think I won’t finish it.
“I can’t do it right now because I’ve got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now,” she added. “So there are times like that, things like that that will start here a little bit, but I’ll write something else, though, if it comes.
“So I’m just putting that all on hold.”
It is both understandable and heartbreaking to see the legend, known for her heart of gold, still hurting to much.
“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” Parton wrote on X days after Dean’s death. “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 okay with that.
“I will always love you.”
When she announced Dean’s death on March 3, she wrote: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.
