Dolly Parton is opening up about the last year of her life, including the death of longtime love Carl Dean.

On Friday, March 13, the country music icon, 80, spoke onstage in Tennessee to mark the opening of Dollywood’s 41st season, revealing she’s “not dating anybody” and that she doesn’t see herself getting married again after losing her husband of nearly six decades a little over a year ago.

“I think Carl Dean’s waiting for me. If I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that,” Parton confessed. “He’d be saying, ‘Who’s that little pisser? You leave him outside the gates, and if the Lord wants him in, he’ll bring him. You get on in here with me.’”

Also onstage, the “Jolene” hitmaker shared how grieving Carl affected her and addressed her health challenges, which caused her to postpone her six-show Las Vegas residency from December 2025 to September 2026.

“I have been not been touring, as you know. I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them. I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” Parton admitted. “I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”

However, Parton is looking ahead, telling the audience she is working on her upcoming Broadway musical, Dolly: A True Original Musical, and that she is “writing a couple new songs for it.”

“I’ve just been doing a lot of writing, a lot of thinking, a lot of praying, and a lot of getting ready for a lot of new stuff coming up,” she added. “Be ready for me, I ain’t done!”

Dolly Parton Shares Health Update in First Major Appearance in Months Since Revealing Medical Concerns

Parton delivered the keynote address at her theme park Dollywood on its 41st anniversary

Dolly Parton shared that she is taking good care of herself in the wake of health concerns, following the death of her husband Carl Thomas Dean.

Parton, 80, opened up about her health and her grief journey during a keynote speech on opening day at her theme park, Dollywood, on Friday, March 13. This year’s theme park season marks the 41st since the Tennessee theme park opened.

“I’ve not been touring, as you know,” Parton said, as seen in footage of the speech shared by WVLT 8. “I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them.”

“I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” the country icon said, noting the loss of Dean, who she was married to for 58 years before his death on March 3, 2025 at 82. “I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”

After joking that fans shouldn’t confuse Dollywood Company President Eugene Naughton, who she shared the stage with, to be her “new husband,” she confirmed that she is “not dating anybody” since Dean’s death.

“I think Carl Dean’s waiting for me,” she said. “If I should show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, he would not like that. He’d be saying, ‘Who’s that little pisser? You leave him outside the gates.’ ”

Dean married the country legend in 1966 but eschewed the spotlight. He never attended public events with his wife, and the singer shared only a handful of photos of him over the years.

Parton previously shared a video apologizing for missing the Hall of Fame ceremony for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) for Dollywood in November 2025 amid her health concerns.

The Nashville legend postponed her Las Vegas residency due to an unspecified illness in October 2025, though she had mentioned earlier in September 2025 that she had been having issues with kidney stones. Parton announced she would be pushing back the performances by nearly a year to focus on her health.

“Dolly is getting better every day,” a source close to Parton told PEOPLE in a November 2025 cover story of the “I Will Always Love You” singer’s health.

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“She is at home taking care of herself while many friends and family visit her,” the source added of Parton who just released her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage. “In true Dolly spirit she has already started decorating for the holidays — her favorite time of year.”

Music Icon, 80, Shares Health Update in Rare Appearance

Dolly Parton is back on stage. The legendary singer shared an update on her ongoing health struggles during her first onstage appearance in six months. “I’ve not been touring, as you know. I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them,” Parton, 80, said in a surprise keynote address for Dollywood’s 41st anniversary on Friday. “I’ve been up to a lot.”

“Dolly is getting better every day,” a source close to Parton told PEOPLE in a November 2025 cover story of the “I Will Always Love You” singer’s health.

 

“She is at home taking care of herself while many friends and family visit her,” the source added of Parton who just released her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage. “In true Dolly spirit she has already started decorating for the holidays — her favorite time of year.”