Dolly Parton Reveals Heartbreaking Reason She's Putting New Music on 'Hold'

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Dolly Parton Reveals Heartbreaking Reason She's Putting New Music on 'Hold' originally appeared on Parade.

Dolly Parton isn't releasing new music anytime soon.

During the Wednesday, July 9 episode of Khloé Kardashian's Khloé in Wonder Land podcast, the country icon, 79, shared that she's taking a break from music following the death of her longtime husband, Carl Dean, in March.

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"I can't do it," she said. "I can't do it right now 'cause I got so many other things that I can't afford the luxury of, you know, of getting emotional right now."

Though she admits to being "stalled" for now, Parton promised that her music career isn't over just yet.

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"I'll write something else, though, if it comes. I'm just putting that all on hold."

The country star shared the news of her husband's death via Instagram on March 3. Parton and Dean were married for nearly 60 years before his death at age 82.

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"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy," she wrote in a statement.

Dean, who ran an asphalt road-paving business in Nashville, met Parton outside a laundromat in 1964 when she was 18 years old. The couple was notoriously private, though Parton often took musical inspiration from her real-life romance.

Three days after news broke of Dean's passing, Parton released a song in his honor, titled If You Hadn't Been There.

"I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him." she wrote via Instagram.

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Dolly Parton Reveals Heartbreaking Reason She's Putting New Music on 'Hold' first appeared on Parade on Jul 9, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.