Dolly Parton shared the emotional update as she marks her 80th birthday, 10 months after the death of her husband, Carl Dean

A woman stands on a stage with a microphone in hand, accompanied by a guitarist and a band, while performing under stage lights.
Dolly Parton marks her 80th birthday (Image: GETTY)

Dolly Parton has made a sad admission about adjusting to life without her husband, Carl Dean. Today marks the country singer’s first birthday without Carl by her side, following his death at the age of 82 in March 2025. Although a cause of death was not revealed, it was reported that he had been unwell for some time.

In a statement posted on her Instagram page at the time, Dolly wrote: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

To mark her 80th birthday, the singer has unveiled a reimagined version of her 1977 song Light of a Clear Blue Morning, featuring Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire.

Linking her milestone to giving back, proceeds from the song and its accompanying video will be donated to paediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt’s children’s hospital.

Carl Dean died in March
Dolly Parton and husband Carl Dean (Image: GETTY)

Ahead of her special birthday, the 9 to 5 hitmaker sparked health worries after cancelling numerous shows, although she is set to return to the stage in September.

It remains unclear whether Dolly will host any private celebrations, but in a recent interview, she confessed that keeping busy has aided her in dealing with her grief.

Reflecting on her first 10 months without Carl, she told Hello! Magazine: “I feel emotional. People have been so kind and supportive, but it’s all very emotional for me.

“I was 18 years old when we met and we were together for 60 years, that’s a long time, so it’s hard to adjust,” she added.

An individual is on stage performing a musical piece. The individual is holding a guitar and singing into a microphone, with a p
Dolly Parton opened up about her grief (Image: GETTY)

“It still feels so strange to not have him with me. I miss him so much, but I’ll be fine. I’m keeping busy. I’m working every day. That has been the best thing for me.”

Dolly and Carl tied the knot in 1966 during a small ceremony in Georgia, two years after their initial meeting. The couple first crossed paths when she moved to Nashville aged 18 to chase her musical ambitions.

In past interviews, the singer has frequently joked that Carl was the first man who truly focused on her face rather than her figure.

The late entrepreneur mainly remained away from public attention, which Dolly said contributed to their long-lasting marriage.

Discussing their bond prior to his death, she remarked: “It is important to have someone there in your corner and you know they’ll love you for just who you are.

“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 told E! News.

Explaining why maintaining independent lives suited them, she continued: “Because we both do different things and it’s exciting when we are together. 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.”