Originally appeared on E! Online
Dolly Parton put her love in a song.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREDays after her husband of 58 years, Carl Thomas Dean, died at the age of 82, the 79-year-old released an emotional song in his honor.
“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” Parton wrote alongside a throwback photo of her and Dean on Instagram March 7. “We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP
The emotional ballad begins with Parton speaking directly to her husband asking, “If you hadn’t been there / Where would I be?/ Without your trust / Love and believe.”
Throughout the song, Parton reflects on the ups and downs of her life and sings about how her husband was there to offer support and love during their marriage.
“I wouldn’t be here / If you hadn’t been there / Holding my hand,” she sings, “Showing you care / You made me dream / More than I dared / And I wouldn’t be here / If you hadn’t been there.”
Entertainment News
READ Dolly Parton Speaks Out After Husband Carl Dean’s Death
Parton also opened up about the love and confidence her husband offered. In fact, in one of the most emotional lyrics, Parton sings, “I thank God and you / Oh for your loving care / And for giving me love / With more to spare.”
The “9 to 5” singer’s musical tribute came one day after she broke her silence following the news of Dean’s death.
“This is a love note to family, friends and fans,” she wrote on Instagram March 6. “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,” she wrote. “He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you. Dolly.”
Parton and Dean's love story began in 1964, when she met him after her arrival to Nashville, Tennessee, as she began to pursue her music career. Throughout her decades-long career, Dean remained out of the spotlight.
However, his support for his wife always took the front seat.
"It is important to have someone there in your corner and you know they'll love you for just who you are," she told E! News in May. "There's a great comfort in knowing that someone loves you exactly for who you are — because he fell in love with me before I became a star."
She continued, “We just enjoy each other. One of the things that we like to do — not necessarily a date night, we have a lot of date days — we have our little RV and we like to travel around. Going down and get some food, or I'll make a picnic and we go down to the river."
