Dolly Parton made her first public appearance since the loss of her husband Carl Dean… And while she’s standing tough, she’s kinda breaking our hearts all over again.
The country music icon revealed she feels “at peace” after the death of her loved one, who was 82 when he died on March 3. They were married for several decades, so this is a tough loss! But she’s keeping her spirits as high as possible. Speaking with Knox News at the 40th opening ceremony of her theme park Dollywood on Friday, the Jolene singer expressed:
“I’m doing better than I thought I would.”
That’s good to hear.
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The singer-songwriter acknowledged she has a lot to “relearn” now that she’s on her own:
“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.”
No matter how difficult this is for her, Dolly pointed out that she’s “at peace that he’s at peace.” The 79-year-old also shared that Carl “suffered a great deal” before his death, though she didn’t specify with what. Still, that does “not keep [her] from missing him and loving him”:
“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.”
Oof. Heartbreaking.
As for why she felt it was important to attend the theme park event, Dolly recalled how much her hubby loved heading there for solo outings:
“He used to come to the park; he bought his own ticket — stood in line and got his ticket. He didn’t want somebody giving him a ticket ’cause he was Dolly’s husband. Everybody thinks that’s the funniest thing.”
Aw!!! So cute!
During the event, Dolly rode in on a pink carriage decked out with pink, red, and white flowers. She waved to the crowd, who welcomed her with sympathy cards and flowers. Chatting with visitors, she opened up:
“I will always love him, and I miss him. You know how I loved him and he would want me to be working today. I expect to be working.”
Miley Cyrus‘ godmother also said she’d been “crying enough the last week or two,” so she was happy to be at the event to “laugh” and to have “some fun.” Great to have some levity amid a tough grieving process.
We’re sending her lots of love as she continues to mourn Carl’s loss!
The post Dolly Parton Talks 'Hole In My Heart' At First Public Appearance Since Husband’s Death appeared first on Perez Hilton.
