Dolly Parton Poignantly Thanks Fans For Their Support In First Public Appearance Since Husband's Death

Country Legend Dolly Parton surprised fans with her first public appearance following the death of her beloved husband of 60 years, Carl Dean, who passed on March 3, 2025, at the age of 82.

On Friday, Parton surprised fans with a special appearance at an event inside Dollywood’s Celebrity Theater to help kick off the 40th anniversary of her theme park, located near the Great Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

On social media, Parton announced the official opening of the park's new season.

"Hey @Dollywood! Here’s to 40 years together," she wrote, with a heart emoji, adding "Dollywood officially opened today for the 2025 season!"

At the event for Dollywood season passholders, the singer thanked fans for their “flowers and cards and the well wishes for the loss of Carl.”

“You know how I loved him and he would want me to be working today, I expect to be working," she said, and gave a nod to one of her most iconic songs with:

“So, anyway, I just wanted you to know that, of course, I will always love him and I’ll miss him but I want you to know that I will always love you.”

You can watch the segment here.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The 79-year-old musician and philanthropist shared with the audience that she came up with the inspiration for Dollywood during many of her visits to Hollywood, where she would see the landmark sign in the Hollywood hills and wonder, "if they would just change that 'H' to a 'D,' it would say 'Dollywood.'"

Parton said having her own theme park was something she "always dreamed about" and that providing job opportunities at Dollywood for her friends, family, and locals in the Knoxville metropolitan area has been a "dream come true."

The park originally opened in 1961 as a small tourist attraction owned by the Robbins brothers, called Rebel Railroad.

It was later renamed Goldrush Junction for the 1964 season when businessman Art Modell took over and ran the park until 1975, when the owners of Silver Dollar City, Jack and Pete Herschend, bought the park and renamed it Goldrush.

In 1977, Goldrush was renamed "Silver Dollar City Tennessee," becoming a sister park to the Herschend Family Entertainment's original Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

The park was rebranded in 1986 when Parton bought an interest in it as part of her mission to return to where she grew up and help bring jobs to the community.

Now considered the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee, Dollywood has approximately 4,000 employees, making it the largest employer in the community.

After she expressed interest in building a theme park in Pigeon Forge during a Barbara Walters interview, Parton said she was approached by the Herschend family who, being the "smart businessmen that they are," proposed, "Why don't we just get together and combine our park with what your dreams are?"

"And being the smart businesswoman that I am, I said 'That's a great idea.' And that's the greatest decision I think any of us has ever made," Parton told the Dollywood season passholders.

Parton later waved and smiled at Dollywood guests in a parade celebrating the park's 40th anniversary.

Fans also admired her courage and strength in making her special appearance as she mourns the loss of her beloved Carl Dean.

WBIR Channel 10/YouTube

WBIR Channel 10/YouTube

WBIR Channel 10/YouTube

WBIR Channel 10/YouTube

WBIR Channel 10/YouTube

When Dean passed away earlier in March, Parton's publicist relayed her message to fans on social media, which read:

"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."

The pair met in 1964 outside a Wishy Washy Laundromat when Parton was 18, the day she arrived in Nashville.

“He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about," she recalled on her website.

They married two years later on May 30, 1966, Memorial Day, in Ringgold, Georgia.

Last week, she honored Dean with the new single "If You Hadn't Been There," which you can listen to here.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

"I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end," she wrote in a social media post introducing the song.

She added:

"They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him."