Dolly Parton said she’d miss husband Carl Dean ‘for the rest of’ her life after his 2025 death

Dolly Parton declared she’d miss her late husband, Carl Dean Thomas, “for the rest of [her] life,” months before her shocking passing.

Parton told Entertainment Tonight in May 2025, two months after losing her longtime partner, that she “long[ed] for him every day.”

The Grammy winner said, “Of course I miss him. I’m having to really go through a lot trying to figure out how to be without him because I was with him for so long.”

She continued, “There’s that part of me that will miss him forever … For the rest of my life, I’m sure.”

However, Parton noted, “He did suffer a lot for the last few years, and there’s a part of me that’s happy he’s at peace and at rest.”

The latest news on music icon Dolly Parton’s death at 80

Six months later, the actress reflected further on losing Thomas, telling People, “Ours is a great old love story.”

She shared with the outlet, “Most people don’t stay that close that long. That’s a loss. Nobody can ever know that unless you’ve experienced it yourself. He will always be in my heart and in my memories.”

Thomas died in March 2025 following an unspecified prolonged illness, nearly 59 years after marrying the Grammy winner.

Parton went public with her own “health challenges” later that same year, with news breaking of her death Tuesday — after the country music icon made headlines for canceling a slew of recent appearances.

Parton admitted to People in her final interview Friday, “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”

She did not provide further details.

Parton and Thomas wed in May 1966 after meeting at a Wishy Washy Laundromat on the actress’ first day in Nashville, Tennessee, two years prior, she told the New York Times in 1976.

While celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2016, Thomas recalled his first thought being, “I’m gonna marry that girl.”

He quipped, “My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin.’ And that was the day my life began.”

Thomas proposed in 1966, with the duo tying the knot in Ringgold Baptist Church in Ringgold, Georgia, that same year.