Dolly Parton turned to social media on Thursday (March 6) to offer a “love note’ to everyone who has reached out to her after the death of her husband, Carl Dean.

“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” Parton begins.

“Thank you for all of the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss my beloved husband Carl,” the country icon continues.

“I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know that it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”

Parton married Carl Dean on May 30, 1966. They were just months from celebrating their 59th anniversary when he died in early March of 2025.

Though Parton frequently talked about Dean in interviews, he was a mystery figure to both the public and even to some of her music industry colleagues.

Dean — who reportedly ran a company that laid asphalt in Nashville for years — shunned the spotlight after attending an awards ceremony very early on in her career, an experience he found so unpleasant that he vowed never to repeat it.

In an interview in 2024, Reba McEntire admitted that even she had never met Dean.

Though Dean was adamant about his privacy, Parton shared a throwback picture of them together in 2021, praising him for his support over the years.

“Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!” she wrote in the caption.

Carl Dean died on March 3, 2025, of undisclosed causes. He was 82 years old.