Dolly Parton’s heartbreak revealed as insider details depth of her grief following passing of husband Carl Dean

An insider has detailed the heartbreak Dolly Parton continues to endure following the passing of her longtime love, Carl Dean.

Dean died at the age of 82 on March 3, 2025 – a death Parton has said left a ‘hole in my heart.’ 

Now a source has told Radar Online that Parton, 79, is still struggling to move forward – with the depth of her grief concerning friends.  

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Parton for comment but has not yet heard back.  

‘She’s desperately trying to rally herself back to work, but it is very difficult. The loss is hitting her so hard. Her friends are very worried,’ a source told the site.

The source said his passing ‘knocked the wind right out of her.’  

A pre-recorded segment Parton filmed to receive an honorary Oscar at the Governor’s Ball also raised eyebrows.

Parton was set to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the ceremony, but she cancelled her in person appearance and ended up accepting the honor virtually.

It came after she revealed she had postponed her Las Vegas residency on account of health challenges that required her to undergo several medical procedures.

Health issues also forced her to cancel a prescheduled trip to Dollywood in September, with the star revealing she needed to recover from a kidney stone. 

An insider told Radar that Parton was ‘sad’ to miss the Governor’s Ball, however, ‘she simply could not handle going, which tells you just how bad it is.’

A ‘long list’ of suitors have also expressed interest in pursuing Parton – however she has ‘zero interest’ in them.

When Dean died, Parton said they ‘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,’ she added.

Several weeks after Dean’s death, Parton told Knox News, ‘I’m doing better than I thought I would. 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.’

She also shared insight into the end of her famously reclusive husband’s life, revealing that he struggled leading up to his death.

‘He suffered a great deal,’ Dolly said. ‘I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him.’

She went on to say, ‘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 and Dean met in Nashville in 1964 at a place most wouldn’t peg as a hotbed of romance – the laundromat. They tied the knot two years later.

But both described the fateful meeting in 1964 as love at first sight in later interviews. They renewed their vows at their Nashville home in May 2016 to mark their 50th wedding anniversary.

Speaking on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show two years ago, Parton, then 77, was clear as to why their marriage has endured.

‘We’ve been together 59 [years], we dated two years, and then we just celebrated our 57th anniversary on May the 30th,’ she said during the November 2023 interview.

‘But I think so much of it is the fact that we are honest and open and we have a warped sense of humor!’

‘He is crazy, he is so funny and clever. And I have a great sense of humor from both sides of my family so I think the humor has always been good.’

Parton continued by saying they share a mutual ‘love and respect’ for one another.

‘There’s the respect and the love and I just like him!’ she added. ‘You know, I would have liked him if he wasn’t my husband, if he was somebody else’s husband I say, “You know that Carl Dean, ain’t he funny? Ain’t he a good guy?”, so think it’s just that mutual respect and we just like each other.’

‘If I ask him if he likes my hair – “too stringy for me” or “it looks too important” – you know like if it’s too stiff… he always calls it that, “It looks too important”, but I know if I ask him – he won’t just volunteer it – but if I ask him he’ll tell me the truth.’