Dolly Parton opens up about husband's health before death

Dolly Parton's late husband Carl Dean was "ill for quite a while" before he passed away in March.

The Jolene singer, 79, spoke with The Independent about how she was holding up following the loss in a recent interview.

"I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to," Parton, 79, told the publication.

"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."

The Grammy winner also got candid about her religious beliefs helping her stay strong.

"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," Parton continued. "You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans, but that’s the hardest part."

Parton added that she is investing her energy into "other things" to "keep him ever-present in everything that I do."

Parton and Dean met in 1964 in Nashville, where she moved to pursue a career in music.