Dolly Parton paid tribute to her late husband, Carl Dean, on Thursday and quoted one of her most famous songs in the process.
Dean, who was married to the music legend for 58 years, died Monday at 82.
No cause of death was announced, and the family plans to honor his memory with a private service.
However, the 79-year-old Parton publicly remembered her spouse on Instagram with a post that also thanked “family, friends, and fans” for “all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl.”
She added:
“I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me.”
Parton then addressed Dean’s death by quoting her biggest hit.
“He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you,” she said.
Parton and Dean met outside a laundromat when she was 18 and had just moved to Nashville.
The two connected pretty quickly, and Parton credited it to eye contact.
“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton said. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
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Although Dean was rarely seen in public with Parton, she said they had an understanding that kept things going strong despite different lifestyle choices.
“He wanted to be around home, and I’m a gypsy by nature,” Parton said in an interview in December. “I just love to go and love to see what else is out there. But, I think … that’s worked well for us.”