Dolly Parton Honors Late Husband Carl Dean With Song ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’

Dolly Parton is paying tribute to her late husband who inspired many of her songs with one more. She released “If You Hadn’t Been There” to honor Carl Dean, who died at 82 on March 3. “If you hadn’t been there / Where would I be?” Parton sings, her voice trembling early into the gospel-inspired track. “Without your trust, love, and belief.” But the song eventually builds from guitar, piano, and strings to include a full band and choir. “You made me drеam / More than I dared,” Parton sings. “And I wouldn’t be hеre / If you hadn’t been there.” The single cover is an old photo of the couple, who were married for over 58 years. Dean, an asphalt paver, ceded the spotlight to Parton as she became the biggest woman in country music.

“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” Parton wrote on Instagram. “We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years 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.”

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