Dolly Parton Speaks Out After Husband Carl Dean’s Death, Says He’s ‘in God’s Arms Now’: ‘I Will Always Love You’

Dean, Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, died on March 3

Dolly Parton is thanking her support system in the days following the death of her husband Carl Dean, who she said she has accepted is “in God’s arms now.”

The country music legend shared a statement to her Instagram on Thursday, March 6, just three days after she announced Dean had died at the age of 82 after nearly 60 years of marriage.

“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl,” Parton, 79, wrote. “I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me.”

“He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you,” she continued, referencing her 1973 hit song “I Will Always Love You.”

Dean — Parton’s husband of 58 years — died March 3 in Nashville and is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie, a statement shared on the singer’s Instagram said.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton’s post continued. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

Born in Nashville in 1942, Dean was raised alongside his two siblings by their mother Virgina “Ginny” Bates Dean and father Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean. He began dating Parton after they met at a laundromat in Nashville — “and that was the day my life began,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2016 in a rare public statement.

“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin.’ ” Dean added at the time.

The pair wed in 1966, but the ultra-private Dean remained largely out of the spotlight throughout their nearly 60-year marriage, despite his wife’s megawatt career.

“He’s always supporting me as long as I don’t try to drag him in on it,” Parton told PEOPLE in 2019. “He’s always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he’s at home.”

And Parton was equally devoted to Dean.

“Carl is the one man in my life. I would love to grow old with him. If he should die first, I may never marry again,” she told PEOPLE in 1982. “My love is that deep.”