Dolly Parton is opening up about the hardest part of life without her husband, Carl Dean. Dean was 82 years old when he passed away on March 3. Parton was just 18 years old when she met Dean, getting married in 1966.
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"I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I'm going to see him again someday," Parton tells The Independent.
"And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart," she continues. "And in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we've built together. You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans - but that's the hardest part."
Parton misses Dean, but admits part of her is glad that he is no longer in pain, as he was for a few years before his death.
"I really feel his presence," Parton says. "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."
How Dolly Parton Is Honoring Carl Dean
Parton is moving forward with her career, in spite of her grief. She is currently building a hotel in Nashville, just launched her own line of frozen meals, is getting ready to debut her long-awaited Dolly: An Original Musical, and much more.
"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,'" Parton says, adding that he was "very proud of" his superstar wife.
Parton could by now very easily retire. It's a thought that she isn't even willing to entertain, and likely won't for years to come.
"I just think that if you're successful, if you are lucky enough to see your dreams come true, you need to make new dreams out of your other dreams," the 79-year-old says.
"It's like a tree with lots of limbs and leaves, so every dream. You can kind of branch off - if you'll pardon the expression - and do other things."
