Dolly Parton's faith helps her cope with Carl Dean's passing
Dolly Parton has confessed to feeling lonely after losing her husband, Carl Dean.
Dolly Parton expects to be reunited with Carl Dean in the afterlife.
The 79-year-old music icon lost her husband earlier this year, aged 82, but Dolly's faith has helped her to cope with the heartbreak.
She told The Independent: "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. You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans – but that’s the hardest part."
Dolly has felt lonely since losing her husband. However, she's also relieved that he's "not suffering anymore" after being ill "for quite a while".
She shared: "I really feel his presence. 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."
Carl was always "very proud" of the chart-topping country music star. And Dolly is now determined to throw her "energy" into new projects.
The 'Jolene' hitmaker said: "When I did lose him, I just thought, well, I’m going to take all of that energy, and I'm just going to put that back into other things, and I’ll keep him ever-present in everything that I do."
Dolly described herself as a "workhorse that looks like a show horse".
The singer - who has an autobiographical musical in the works - said: "My husband always said, ‘If anybody was ever born to be a star, it’s you.’ Because he sees me loving to do all the things and playing and stuff – it’s play time for me. But I take it very serious."
Carl made a concerted effort to keep a low profile during his life, and Dolly previously admitted that they were "completely opposite" characters.
She told People in 2015: "They say that opposites attract, and it’s true. We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun."
