When faced with the loss of a loved one, it can become difficult to keep moving forward.
But for the country music star, Dolly Parton, the thing that has kept her going and moving forward is something that has always been an important part of her life: faith.
Dolly Parton and faith
The 79-year-old artist, who is Christian, has never been one to hide her faith and how it has guided her in life.
In a video shared on TikTok by Parton, she expressed that her faith has always been an important part of her life and has “kept (her) strong and grounded.”
During her career, Parton has collaborated with other Christian artists and written various religious songs, including a gospel album in 1971 titled “Golden Streets of Glory” that featured songs like “I Believe,” “Lord Hold My Hand” and “Heaven’s Just a Prayer Away.”
It’s this same faith that inspired these hymns that has kept her rooted following her husband’s death on March 28.
“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday. And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together,” said Parton, according to ABC News. “You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans — but that’s the hardest part.”
The couple had been together for six decades. While Dean wasn’t one for the spotlight, he was always a loyal and proud supporter of the 10-time Grammy winner, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
“I really feel his presence,” Parton said, per ABC News, “I just try to go on, because I know I have to. And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.”
The inspiring and loyal supporter
The couple first met outside a Wishy-Washy Laundromat the day Parton moved to Nashville. She was 18 and Dean was 21. They married two years later in 1966, Deseret News previously reported.
While Parton had her first appearance on the Billboard country charts shortly after her marriage and got her first No. 1 hit a few years after, Dean was one who preferred to stay out of the public eye.
Despite his desire to stay behind the scenes, he was always a loyal and proud supporter of Parton’s career. According to the Associated Press, Dean often told her, “If anybody was ever born to be a star, it’s you.”
Parton “always respected and appreciated” her husband’s desire to stay out of the spotlight, per Deseret News.
But that didn’t stop him from being a major influence on her singing career as he was the inspiration for many of her songs, including the timeless classic “Jolene” and her 2023 “Rockstar” album, according to ABC News.
Most recently, Parton shared a new song, “If You Hadn’t Been There,” through a post on Instagram that featured an early photo of the couple.
In the caption, the singer said, “He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”
Life after Carl Dean’s Death
When asked if her perspective on what she hopes to accomplish has changed since the death of her husband, Parton told AP, “No, I just think that I’ve always had dreams and I’m always working. My husband understood that. Carl knew that better than anybody and he was all about it. He was very proud of me.”
She continued, “So when I did lose him, I just thought, well, I’m going to take all of that energy, and I’m just going to put that back into other things, and I’ll keep him ever-present in everything that I do.”
According to AP, Parton has a new book coming out, “Star of the Show,” that will take readers behind the scenes to learn about what her life was like on the road, on stage, the people she met and more.
Additionally, she also has been working on a musical about her life called “Dolly: An Original Musical‚" she told AP. The musical will first open at the Fisher Center of Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville and then it’s off to Broadway in the following year.