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Dolly Parton’s late husband, Carl Dean, was ill for “quite a while” before his heartbreaking death. The “I Will Always Love You” singer reflected on Dean’s secret health battle in an

interview with The Independent published Wednesday. “I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to,” Parton, 79, told the outlet. “Part of me was at peace that he

was at peace and not suffering anymore.” EXPLORE MORE She added, “But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.” The singer-songwriter plans on honoring his memory

now that she is trying to move forward. “So when I did lose him, I just thought, ‘Well, I’m going to take all of that energy, and I’m just going to put that back into other things, and I’ll

keep him ever-present in everything that I do,'” she said. She also reflected on how “proud” Dean always was of her music career. “My husband always said, ‘If anybody was ever born to

be a star, it’s you,’” she recalled. “Because he sees me loving to do all the things and playing and stuff – it’s play time for me. But I take it very serious.” While she mourned the loss of

her partner of nearly 60 years, Parton previously shared that she knows they will reunite eventually. “I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday,”

she told the Associated Press in March. Dean passed away in Nashville March 3. He was 82. WANT MORE CELEBRITY AND POP CULTURE NEWS? Start your day with Page Six Daily. THANKS FOR SIGNING UP!

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton shared in a statement at the time, adding, “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your

prayers and sympathy.” Per the statement, Dean was laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family in attendance. The couple met outside a laundromat when she was just 18 years old

in 1964 and they tied the knot two years later. While they kept their relationship extremely private from the public eye, Parton shared glimpses of how romantic he was. “We’re really very

proud of our marriage,” she gushed in 2011. “It’s the first for both of us — and the last.” Dean also gave a rare statement about their fairytale love in a 2016 interview with “Entertainment

Tonight.” “My first thought was, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good lookin’.’ And that was the day my life began,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade the last 50

years for nothing on this earth.”