Dolly Parton has dedicated her new song If You Hadn't Been There to her late husband, Carl Dean, whose death at the age of 82 was announced this week.
The couple spent nearly six decades married with businessman Dean largely remaining out of the spotlight as Parton became a two-time Oscar nominee and 10-time Grammy winner, as well as one of the biggest-selling US music stars.
Parton, 79, wrote on Instagram: "Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him. If You Hadn't Been There."
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She shared the post about the track, a reflection on their life together, alongside an image of the two of them.
Parton met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 18.
They married on Memorial Day - 30 May 1966 - in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia.
On Thursday, Parton wrote that she was sharing a "love note to family, friends, and fans".
She added: "Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you've sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl.
"I can't reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me.
"He is God's arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you."
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Source: Press Association
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