EXCLUSIVE: The Horrifying Health Crisis Devastated Dolly Parton Is Hiding After Reclusive Husband Carl Dean's Death 'Sends Her Spiraling'
Parton is said to be depressed after husband Dean's death.
March 14 2025, Published 12:15 p.m. ET
Depressed Dolly Parton is still spiraling from the loss of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean.
Now friends are worried she could be next, RadarOnline.com can report, as the traumatic event could be too much for the 79-year-old's frail body and spirit to recover from.
The private couple married in 1966.
Parton stuck by Dean's side, caring for him in his final days of battling Alzheimer's before his death on March 3 at the age of 82. In the weeks since, she has reportedly suffered from depression and a great sense of loss.
As she continues to navigate life without her love, friends have speculated the enormity of Dean's death could lead to her calling it a career.
One source said: "He was still so much a driving force in her life. You just fear she's going to lose the will to ever sing again – it will bring back so much pain."
Parton gave up touring to stay by Dean's side.
Dolly announced in 2023 that she was retiring from touring to spend more time with Dean at their Brentwood, Tenn. estate, and spent their final days together mired in heartbreak.
The insider shared: "They had in-house nursing helping to tend to Carl, but Dolly was determined to be his main caregiver.
"She was gone from home so much during their marriage that there were times when they only saw each other 30 days out of the year, so she felt she owed it to be with him at his greatest time of need."
Meanwhile, those closest to Parton fear the sad loss will shorten her life as well. The Jolene singer has had a litany of health issues over the years and is said to be taking pills for high blood pressure and brittle bones.
The insider revealed: "There is a major concern that having to deal with the aftermath and devastation of losing Carl, who had been practically by her side since day one, is going to make her own health decline."
The loss could be too much for Parton to recover from.
There is science to back that fear up. Noted longevity expert Dr. Gabe Mirkin noted there can be a correlation between traumatic events and a person's health.
He explained: "Stress, grief and sorrow absolutely increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and premature death after losing a loved one."
Mirkin added that in cases of Alzheimer's and dementia, "there is more stress on the caretaker than the demented person, since the caretaker knows what's going on. That grief and stress cause inflammation and weaken the immune system."
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The singer was so committed to caring for Dean that she turned down several career opportunities – and even declined the honor of receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington, D.C. because it would mean she would have to leave their Tennessee home.
A source said: "It crushed her to have to turn that down because she considered it a career-crowning achievement, but she said her place was at home with Carl."
While she was consumed with her caregiver duties, a friend said she struggled to picture life without Dean.
They explained: "Dolly has spent so much of her life and her marriage out there trying to conquer the world – and she's been pretty damn good at it.
"But now she feels it won't mean a hill of beans without Carl by her side."
