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Dolly Parton made her return to the public eye this week, and honored her late husband Carl Dean during her first appearance since his passing.
The legendary country singer, 79, surprised fans at the 40th opening ceremony of Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on Friday. It marked her first public event since Dean, 82, passed away earlier this month. During her speech at the event, Parton, 79, expressed deep gratitude for the overwhelming support she’s received over the past couple of weeks.
“I just want to take a minute to thank all of you for all the flowers and cards and the well wishes for the loss of Carl,” Parton started off her speech. “You know how I loved him, and he would want me to be working today. I expect to be working.”
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She went on to emotionally reflect, saying, “I’ll always love him, and I’ll miss him, but I want you to know that I’ll always love you,” before switching gears and getting into the celebration of 40 years of Dollywood, asking the crowd, “can you believe it’s been 40 years?”
The moment was met with cheers from the audience, with fans shouting their love to the songstress. Parton performed her song “Celebrate The Dreamer In You” before participating in Dollywood’s opening day parade, where she waved to the crowd from a carriage.
She recently released a song, “If You Hadn’t Been There,” dedicated to Dean, which she described as a reflection of their lifelong love. “He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him,” Parton wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, March 7, sharing the song’s cover.
Dean passed away on Monday, March 3 at the age of 82. The duo were married for over 60 years.