Music legend Dolly Parton, who just last year leaned on her faith after the passing of her husband of 60 years and emphatically declared “I’m going to see him again someday,” passed away at the age of 80 August 25th, 2026 after a brief battle with cancer, rejoining the love of her life who supported her and inspired some of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s timeless songs.
For context, Dolly Parton was married to Carl Dean for almost 60 years, getting wed at just the age of 20. He passed just over a year prior, in 2025, prompting the country music star to write on social media at the time: “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,” Parton wrote on her Instagram following his death.
Later, when asked about how her faith played a role in dealing with a loss so strong, she stated she ‘truly believed’ they would be reunited in the afterlife. “I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday. And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together,” said Parton.
Talking about how his loss would be felt, she said “You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans,” though it would be hard. “I really feel his presence,” she added. “I just try to go on, because I know I have to. And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.”
News of the 11-time Grammy winner’s passing stunned the music world, though faith again helped her own family deal with the loss. In addition to being back by her late husband, one of the nephews of Parton who led her security detail and was representing the family, said that sadness was for those who remain, not with her. “Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus,” Brian Seaver said in a video uploaded to Instagram as a message from the Parton family.
“It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus. Surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens,” Seaver said in the video.
“I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s. Dolly opened doors not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything was possible,” he continued.
“She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever,” he went on.
“Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy. He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest. Rest in peace, Aunt Dolly, Aunt Granny, Gigi. May God bless Dolly Parton, and may God bless you all. She will always love you,” he finished.