When people learned that she lost her husband of 58 years, Carl Thomas Dean, earlier this week, they were understandably heartbroken for her.
Now, the singer has released a song which expresses exactly how she feels about her loss.
Dolly Parton is paying tribute to her beloved late husband, Carl Thomas Dean in a the best way possoble. The 79 year old singer revealed on Thursday, March 6, the title of her track, “If You Hadn’t Been There” on Instagram. In the post with the announcement, she shared a picture of the couple together from their earlier years.
“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 singer wrote in honor of her late husband who passed away earlier this week on Monday, March 3, 2025 at the age of 82 years old.
“They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him,” she added, referring to the heartbreaking song.
“If you hadn’t been there / Where would I be? / Without your trust, love and belief,” the country music singer sings in the beginning of the track.
“The ups and downs / We’ve always shared / And I wouldn’t be here, if you hadn’t been there,” she goes on to sing.
She shared a tribute for him before she shared the song. The couple tied the knot in 1966. While Parton’s star rose, Dean chose to remain ultra private. In their almost 60 years of marriage, he remained largely out of the spotlight.
Earlier this week, after Dean’s passing, Dolly Parton took to Instagram and wrote, “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,” she added.
“He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you,” she wrote.
When she confirmed her beloved’s death on Monday, she wrote, “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.”
The couple started dating after they met at a Nashville laundromat. In a rare public statement made in 2016, Dean said, “and that was the day my life began,” he said in 2016 in a rare public statement.
“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin,’” he added humorously.
Dolly 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.”
Her newly released song titled “If You Hadn’t Been There” echoes her previous tribute to her beloved uncle, Billy Earl Owens who passed away in April 2021 when he was 85 years old.
“I knew my heart would break when he passed, and it did,” she wrote on X at the time. She wrote in her tribute to him, “I’ll start this eulogy by saying I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t been there.”
You can listen to the song here on Dolly Parton’s official YouTube channel.
We send our deepest condolences and best wishes to Dolly Parton and her family as they deal with the heartbreaking loss of Carl Thomas Dean. Share this with others so they can hear Dolly’s lovely tribute to her late love.
