Dolly Parton never recovered from the death of her husband, Carl Dean, a friend tells In Touch exclusively.
"It was a bad time for her," Jason Pirro, who worked as the country icon's driver for 58 years, says of Dean's March 2025 death at 82 following an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
"She didn't say much, but she sometimes talked about how much she missed him so much. She didn't want to make a big deal about it because she knew that I knew how she was affected by it," says Pirro, 80, noting that the pair often traveled between their homes in LA and Tennessee to spend time with each other until he got sick.
Over their 60-year love story, they "shared a unique happiness that seemed to sparkle whenever they were together," he adds.
"I think that's why she passed away so soon after he did," Pirro tells In Touch. "She died of a broken heart, but she didn't want to say that because she didn't want people feeling sorry for her."
#tells
"It was a bad time for her," Jason Pirro, who worked as the country icon's driver for 58 years, says of Dean's March 2025 death at 82 following an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
"She didn't say much, but she sometimes talked about how much she missed him so much. She didn't want to make a big deal about it because she knew that I knew how she was affected by it," says Pirro, 80, noting that the pair often traveled between their homes in LA and Tennessee to spend time with each other until he got sick.
Over their 60-year love story, they "shared a unique happiness that seemed to sparkle whenever they were together," he adds.
"I think that's why she passed away so soon after he did," Pirro tells In Touch. "She died of a broken heart, but she didn't want to say that because she didn't want people feeling sorry for her."
#tells
4 hours ago
