Like all great love stories, they never end,” Parton wrote on Instagram before releasing the ballad “If You Hadn’t Been There ...

Dolly Parton's husband Carl Dean was last seen in photos during a rare outing in December 2019. The singer's husband died five years later, on March 3, 2025, according to Parton's Instagram Stories.

The Dolly Parton quote is the kind of zinger the brassy performer used on late-night talk shows in the ‘80s, never knowing future generations would stitch it on Etsy throw pillows and share it ...