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Dolly Parton lost her reclusive husband of 60 years, Carl Dean, two weeks ago. Dolly and Carl met in a laundromat on Dolly’s first day in Nashville and were together ever since. Although Carl didn’t go to Dolly’s events as her plus one, he was her rock behind the scenes. The last we reported on this sad story, Dolly had released an incredibly moving song for Carl called “If You Hadn’t Been There.” The good news is that Dolly has since made an appearance and she seems to be doing OK. She was at the season opener for her themepark Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN last week. Dolly told the crowd that she’d needed to laugh and “I need some fun, so I’m probably gonna be stupid. I’ve been crying enough the last week or two.” Dolly also did an interview with Knox News this week. She said she’s doing better than she thought she would be. She also told a cute anecdote about how Carl used to visit Dollywood without her.

Dolly Parton on losing Carl Dean: ‘It’s a hole in my heart’
“I’m doing better than I thought I would,” Parton said, sitting down with Knox News nearly two weeks after losing her husband. “I’ve been with him 60 years. So, I’m going to have to relearn some of the things that we’ve done. But I’ll keep him always close.”

An 18-year-old Parton met Dean in 1964 outside a laundromat on the very first day she moved to Nashville from Sevierville to start a career in country music. The couple secretly wed in 1966 and had no children together.

“I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him,” Parton said, noting that Dean had “suffered a great deal.”

“It’s a hole in my heart, you know, but we’ll fill that up with good stuff and he’ll still always be with me,” Parton continued.

What is Dolly Parton’s favorite memory of Carl Dean at Dollywood?
Dean was a private man who avoided the spotlight. You never saw him on a red carpet or at a premiere. But you might have spotted him at Dollywood a time or two.

Just without Dolly.

“He used to come to the park; he bought his own ticket – stood in line and got his ticket. He didn’t want somebody giving him a ticket ‘cause he was Dolly’s husband,” Parton recalled. “Everybody thinks that’s the funniest thing.”

Though Parton often appears at Dollywood for work or to see the progress of ongoing projects, Dean never joined her. He only visited the park by himself while she was off somewhere else working.

“He’d come up to East Tennessee to see some of my family and people that he loved of my people. And so, he’d just think, ‘Well, I think I’ll go to Dollywood, check things out,’” Parton said.

Dean would indulge in some of the food, like funnel cake, but like his wife, he wasn’t a big fan of the roller coasters. Instead, he walked around admiring the popular theme park. But he’d always come back with a few suggestions.

“He would say, ‘You need more bathrooms,’” Parton laughed, imitating her late husband’s voice. “Or he would say, ‘You need to tell them this or that. It’s crowded over in that area. You might want to tell them they ought to do this or that.’”

“He wasn’t coming to criticize, but he would notice things and he would say, you might want to bring this to their attention,” she added.

Parton might carry on Dean’s secret trips. “I think I would do like Carl,” Parton told Knox News when asked about her perfect day at Dollywood.

“I would just walk around, look at everything,” she said.

[From KnoxNews]

It’s funny that Dolly, one of the most recognizable women in the world, was married to a guy who could visit his wife’s amusement park without anyone knowing who he is. I think that’s what she means when she says she would like to walk around and look at everything. Dolly would just like to be incognito for a little while so she can observe. My parents are around Dolly and Carl’s ages and they met in college. I think that’s why this story has resonated with me so much. I can’t image what it’s like to spend most of your life with someone and to lose them. It’s nice to hear that Dolly is doing alright, all things considered, and that she has such great memories of Carl.

Sometimes people complain that we run too many negative stories (which we take time to refute, and which almost no other outlets are doing). If you guys want more positive stories, you have to comment on them. The story about Duchess Meghan’s first television interview in four years got 40 comments. We run on engagement and we’re doing our best.

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