The legendary country singer's husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, died March 3 in Nashville, she announced on social media. He was 82.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together," Parton said in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter). "Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."
Dean -- who married the music icon in 1966 -- will be laid to rest in an intimate gathering attended by immediate family members, according to the post.
While Dean stood by his wife's side for more than six decades, he notoriously avoided attending award shows and other public events after accompanying her to an event in 1967.
"I rented him a tux and begged him to go, and he did," Parton recalled on the Dumb Blonde podcast in December. "And oh, he was so uncomfortable the whole night."
Keep reading for a look at their inspiring love story.
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When the couple returned home, Dean declared his first industry event would also be his last.
"He said, 'Look, now I want you to do everything you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don't ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain't going,'" she continued. "And he never did."
But behind the scenes, the pair's romance was rock solid. Back in May, the "Jolene" singer shared what she and Dean loved to do most when they were together.
"We just enjoy each other," she told E! News' Keltie Knight and Justin Sylvester at the time. "I like to cook. And one of the things that we like to do -- not necessarily a date night, we have a lot of date days -- we have our little RV and we like to travel around. Going down and get some food or I'll make a picnic and we go down to the river and have a picnic and just kind of ride around and do our little things."
But the 79-year-old also admitted they both enjoyed their space.
"I'm just saying, anything new gets old," she quipped. "And I think if you just kind of stay together so much, you just nitpick every little thing and notice all that."
Parton added, "It's worked for us because we both do different things and it's exciting when we are together."
Keep reading for a look at their inspiring love story.
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