Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean. Photo:
Dolly Parton/Instagram
Dolly Parton is paying a special musical tribute to her beloved late husband Carl Thomas Dean.
On Thursday, March 6, Parton, 79, revealed the title of her new track, “If You Hadn’t Been There,” in an Instagram post, which she shared alongside a throwback photo of the couple showing Parton on Dean’s back.
“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end,” the country music legend wrote of Dean, who died on Monday, March 3 in Nashville at age 82.
“They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him,” she added before referring to the song.
“If you hadn’t been there / Where would I be? / Without your trust, love and belief,” Parton sings at the start of the track.
“The ups and downs / We’ve always shared / And I wouldn’t be here, if you hadn’t been there,” she continues.
Parton’s posted her song shortly after she shared a tribute on Instagram following the death of her husband of 58 years earlier this week.
The pair tied the knot back in 1966, but the ultra-private Dean remained largely out of the spotlight throughout their nearly 60-year marriage, despite his wife’s huge career in show business.
Parton wrote earlier on Thursday, “This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. 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,” the musician added.
“He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you,” she continued, referencing her 1973 hit song “I Will Always Love You.”
On Monday, Parton confirmed Dean’s death on the social media site, writing, “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.”
Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean. courtesy dolly parton
Dean began dating Parton after they met at a laundromat in Nashville — “and that was the day my life began,” he said in 2016 in a rare public statement, per Entertainment Tonight.
“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin,’ ” he added at the time.
Parton told PEOPLE in 2019 of her private husband opting for a quieter life, “He’s always supporting me as long as I don’t try to drag him in on it. He’s always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he’s at home.”
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Her newly-released song “If You Hadn’t Been There” echoed her tribute to her uncle, Billy Earl Owens, who died in April 2021 at age 85.
“I knew my heart would break when he passed, and it did,” she wrote on X, sharing a link to a tribute on her website. “I’ll start this eulogy by saying I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t been there.”
