Dolly Parton’s late husband, Carl Dean, had been “ailing for quite a while” before his passing in March.
The 79-year-old “Jolene” singer recently spoke with The Independent about how she is coping with her profound loss.
“I genuinely feel his presence. I simply try to carry on, because I know I must,” Parton, 79, shared with the publication.
“And he was ill for quite a while, and a part of me found peace in knowing he was at peace and no longer suffering. But that still doesn’t diminish the loss and the profound loneliness of it.”
The Grammy winner also candidly discussed how her religious convictions provide her with resilience.
“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to be reunited with him someday.”
Parton continued, “And I see him daily in my memories and in my heart, and in all the activities we used to share and all the things we built together. You just have to learn to forge new paths, but that’s undeniably the most challenging aspect.”
Parton added that she is channeling her energy into “other pursuits” to “keep him perpetually present in everything I undertake.”
Parton and Dean first met in Nashville in 1964, a city she moved to in order to pursue her musical career.
