Dolly Parton dedicates moving new song to her late husband: ‘He will always be the star of my life story’

Dolly Parton, who’s put her life into beautiful songs through her whole career, from “I Will Always Love You” to “Jolene,” just released the track “If You Hadn’t Been There” in honor of husband Carl Dean’s death on March 3.

“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together,” the 10-time Grammy winner captioned a throwback image of the two together. “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.”

Parton’s lyrics were particularly touching.

“I wouldn’t be here / If you hadn’t been there / Holding my hand / Showing you care,” she sings in the chorus. “You made me drеam / More than I dared / And I wouldn’t be hеre / If you hadn’t been there.”

In the verses, the artist, actress, and philanthropist calls Dean her “rock,” “wings,” and “confidence.” She credited him with “pushing me on when I was scared.”

Parton met Dean in 1964, well before she was the superstar she is today. The story goes that they first locked eyes on her first day in Nashville, Tenn., the city where she had moved to pursue a career in music, in front of the Wishy Washy Laundromat. They married just two years later, with only her late mother, Avie Lee Parton, and the preacher and his wife, by their sides. She made her first big career move in 1967, when she joined The Porter Wagoner Show, the hard launch for her now legendary career.

While Dean stayed out of the spotlight by choice, Parton referred to him regularly and even talked about other songs that he had inspired. She was open, about the acclaimed song “Jolene” having been written after an attractive bank teller flirted with her man.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

“I love the old guy,” Parton told ET in an interview upon a special release of the 9 to 5 DVD in 2006. “He’s the only one I’ve ever wanted and the only one I’ll ever have, I’m sure.” She also called him her “best friend.”

When he died, her team announced the sad news on social media. Their post included a quote from Parton: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.”

The songwriter had to try.