"He Will Always be the Star of my Life Story": Dolly Parton Pays Tribute to Late Husband Carl Dean with New Song, 'If You Hadn't Been There'

Earlier this week, country icon Dolly Parton shared the heartbreaking news of her husband Carl Dean's passing.

Just a few days following his death on March 3, the revered lyricist and performer has shared her feelings in the way she knows best: through song.

"I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together," Parton shared on socials. "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.

Called 'If You Hadn't Been There,' the new Parton song serves as an homage to the love that sustained her for more than six decades. Meeting the day that the future country legend moved to Nashville at the Wishy Washy Laundromat, they married two years later in 1966. Throughout their relationship, Dean was a common muse for Parton's music, including as the inspiration behind the behemoth hit, 'Jolene.'

In the peaceful 2025 ballad, Parton whispers all the ways that Dean helped her become the woman she is today while also questioning how things might have turned out had their paths never crossed.

"You always see the best in me / You're loving arms have cradled me / You held me close, and I believe / I wouldn't be here / If you hadn't been there," she sings against the solemn piano and emotive strings.

Commemorating their once in a lifetime love, 'If You Hadn't Been There' is equal parts powerful and celebratory, as well as pain and loss, a balance that Parton masterfully toes.

"You are my rock / A soft place to land / My wings, my confidence / You understand / You're willingness / Beyond compare / No, I wouldn't be here / If you hadn't been there," the bridge shares before offering her thanks to God for the 60 years they got to share together.

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