Dolly Parton pauses music career to mourn husband: ‘I can’t afford to get that emotional right now’

Dolly Parton is putting new music on hold following the death of her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, she revealed in a candid conversation on the “Khloé in Wonder Land” podcast. 

The 79-year-old country legend recently sat down with host Khloé Kardashian to talk about faith, career and life lessons. 

Though she is famously private about her marriage, Parton opened up about grieving her husband of nearly 60 years, who died earlier this year at age 82. 

“There are several things I’ve wanted to start, but I can’t do it,” Parton admitted. “I will later, but right now I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas. I think I won’t finish them, because I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now. I have so many other things to do.”

Parton and Dean married on May 30, 1966, and were together until his death. Despite her global fame, Dean shunned the spotlight and was rarely seen publicly. 

“We were so good for each other, because he’s a total loner,” Parton told Kardashian. “We could just be in the house all day and say two or three words - it didn’t matter. Or we could talk all afternoon, or lie in bed and talk at night.”

She added, “I think there are just certain personalities that are great for each other. We were together for 61 years. We were so different, but so similar.”

Parton even noted their astrological match: she’s a Capricorn, he was a Cancer.

Reflecting on the start of her career, Parton shared a story from the year they wed. In 1966, the same year she won her first BMI award, Dean had rented a tuxedo to attend the ceremony, but changed his mind. 

“He got dressed, then took it off before we even left the house,” Parton laughed. “I knew right then I was going to keep him private as best I could, never ask him to do anything. But he was so proud of me. We got along great because we didn’t have anything to fight about like that.”

Days after Dean’s death, Parton released a tribute song for him titled “If You Hadn’t Been There.”

“Oh, you are my rock / A soft place to land / My wings, my confidence / You understand / Your willingness / Beyond compare / No I wouldn’t be here / If you hadn’t been there,” she sings on the tender track.

The hour-long podcast also explored lighter moments. Kardashian, a longtime Parton fan, threw a “Khloéwood”-themed 40th birthday party in 2024 inspired by Dollywood. Earlier this year, Kardashian and Parton even teamed up on a denim line for Good American, called Dolly’s Joleans. 

“They make your butt look good,” Parton said of the jeans, flashing a grin. “Even if you don’t have a good butt, they make it look good. And if you do - it’s amazing.”

Parton also touched on Beyoncé’s take on “Jolene”, featured on last year’s “Cowboy Carter”, saying she loved how Beyoncé flipped the narrative.

“She turned it around - ‘You think you can take my man?’ But she’s that cool. I loved it. As a songwriter, you love hearing how other people interpret your songs. And the fact that she did it, I thought, I’m gonna make a lot of money!” she joked. 

In February, Parton joined Sabrina Carpenter on a twangy reimagining of Carpenter’s hit “Please Please Please”, featured on the deluxe edition of “Short n’ Sweet”. 

Looking ahead, Parton said she doesn’t know exactly what’s next, but trusts there’s more in store.  

“I always look at my life like it’s been a tree. It had roots, deep roots, then all the limbs, then all the little leaves. Everything branches out to something else,” she said.

“I know God’s gonna give me something else. I try to keep myself wide open - very private in my own world - so I can hear what I’m supposed to know. And when I do, I’ll go for it, and work it to death.”