Dolly Parton’s final year was overshadowed by heartbreaking losses, with a friend revealing that the country legend gradually stepped away from the public spotlight following the death of her husband, Carl Dean.

Nikki Lund, who knew Parton through her longtime manager Donny Nozell, told Page Six that the singer endured “a lot of loss in a short amount of time” after Dean died in March 2025, followed more recently by the death of her brother.

Lund, who said she last saw Parton about a month ago, reflected on how deeply the losses seemed to affect the singer.

“I think it’s like a broken heart, you know?” Lund said.

Parton’s heartache after Dean’s passing

Throughout her decades-long career, Parton was known for maintaining an incredibly busy schedule. But Lund said the singer began stepping away from the spotlight in the year after Dean’s death.

“Normally, she works all the time because she loves it. She’s just a busy bee. She’s always busy,” Lund said. “And for the last year, she took a step back from the public eye and wanted to spend more time at home. She wasn’t around anyone as much for the last year.”

Lund also recalled seeing Parton after Dean’s death, describing her as remarkably resilient despite the personal pain she was facing.

“I was very surprised when I saw her after he died. She’s just a resilient person. She had such a faith and such a brightness about her that you just forgot that there were any problems in the world,” Lund said.

“When you’re around Dolly, it’s like the sun is shining, rainbows and butterflies. I mean, you would never really know. But this was the biggest tragedy loss for her.”

Parton and Dean had been married for nearly 60 years. Despite their long marriage, Dean largely stayed out of the public spotlight and rarely appeared alongside his famous wife.

Asked whether she believed Dean had been the love of Parton’s life, Lund became emotional as she reflected on the singer’s passing.

“My mom said it so perfectly … she’s left the world to go live with her real love. It was so beautiful,” Lund said.

Parton’s passing came as a shock

Lund admitted that she was still processing Parton’s death, saying the news came unexpectedly for those outside the singer’s immediate family.

“I’m also a little in shock right now. We all knew she was sick, but this was a surprise. I mean, at least to the people that weren’t in her immediate family,” she said.

Lund also shared her belief that Parton died of a “broken heart,” though the singer’s representatives confirmed that her death followed a private battle with cancer.

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” Parton’s estate said in a statement.

The statement also reflected on Parton’s lifelong dedication to helping others, highlighting her Imagination Library as well as her support for medical research.

“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched,” the statement read. “Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.”

Her estate pointed to the hundreds of millions of books distributed through the Imagination Library and her contributions to research that helped lead to a lifesaving vaccine used around the world.

“Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact,” the statement continued.

The message was signed, “Team Dolly.”

Since news of Parton’s death broke, friends, family and fans have continued to remember the legendary singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist and celebrate the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind.

Source: Various