Dolly Parton After Hubby's Death: 'I Will Always Love You'

Dolly Parton has a message for her fans following the death of her husband of nearly six decades, Carl Dean, at age 82. "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," she wrote on Instagram Thursday. "I can't reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world of me. He is in God's arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you." That last line, of course, is a reference to the iconic song written by Parton and later famously covered by Whitney Houston, NBC News reports. Meanwhile, coverage of the famously private Dean continues:

• Variety describes one 1977 magazine piece as "a rare encounter with Dolly Parton's elusive husband," and the author reflects on the experience in Variety, recalling how an initially uncomfortable Dean grew "more likable and charming" as the night went on.
• TV Insider points to an interview from last year in which Reba McEntire, a friend of Parton's, revealed she'd never met Dean.
• E! News reports he was last photographed in public in 2019.

(Read how Dean inspired another iconic Parton song.)