Dean was famously private and would seldom appear in public, let alone with his famous wife. But Parton said he would come to her theme park, standing in line to buy a ticket just like other visitors to Dollywood. “He didn’t want somebody giving him a ticket ‘cause he was Dolly’s husband,” she said.

“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82,” her statement read. “He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.”

The country superstar also spoke about adjusting to life without Carl Thomas Dean, who died on March 3 at the age of 82.