Dolly Parton has released a heartfelt new ballad in honor of her late husband, Carl Dean.
Dean, who passed away on Monday at the age of 82, was Parton’s husband for nearly 60 years. He preferred to stay out of the public eye, but his influence inspired Parton’s iconic song “Jolene.”
In a tribute posted on Instagram Friday morning, Parton shared, “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. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”
The song, titled “If You Hadn’t Been There,” is another addition to Parton’s collection of emotional and powerful ballads. In the lyrics, she sings, “If you hadn’t been there/Well, who would I be? You always see the best in me/Your loving arms have cradled me.” The song crescendos as Parton’s voice is joined by a choir, creating an uplifting and emotional chorus.
At the end of the song, Parton softens her voice to a whisper, delivering the poignant line: “I wouldn’t be here/If you hadn’t been there.”
Parton first met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at 18. Two years later, they married on Memorial Day in 1966. Dean also inspired one of Parton’s most famous songs, “Jolene,” after a flirtatious bank teller appeared to show interest in her husband.
Throughout their marriage, Parton and Dean maintained a private life, with Parton once sharing in 1984, “A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me.”