Dolly Parton Puts Songwriting ‘On Hold’ Following Husband’s Death

“I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now,” Parton shared on Khloé Kardashian’s Khloé in Wonder Land podcast.

Dolly Parton attends “Dolly: An Original Musical” fireside chat and press conference at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on January 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Dolly Parton has revealed she’s stepping back from songwriting in the wake of her husband Carl Dean’s death on March 3, sharing that she’s not yet ready to embrace the deep emotions that writing brings.

The country legend opened up about her decision during an appearance on Khloé Kardashian’s Khloé in Wonder Land podcast, where she reflected on her creative process and how grief has affected it.

“My husband passed away three months ago… Several things I’ve wanted to start, but I can’t do it. I will later, but I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas. But I think I won’t finish it.”

Parton continued, “I can’t do it right now because I’ve got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now. So there are times like that, things like that that will start here a little bit, but I’ll write something else, though, if it comes. So I’m just putting that all on hold.”

Parton also spoke passionately about her lifelong love for songwriting, calling it her “joy” despite being her career. “It happens just to be my job, but it is also my joy,” she said.

Dean passed away in March at age 82. The couple shared one of music’s most enduring love stories, having first met outside a Nashville laundromat the day Parton arrived in the city to pursue her dreams. They married two years later and stayed together for more than six decades.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton wrote on social media following his death. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

Despite the hiatus, Parton has stayed busy with projects including her Dolly: An Original Musical and various philanthropic ventures. Still, she made it clear that when the time is right, her pen will find its way back to paper.

“Everything begins with a story or a song… I think that’s one of the reasons I love to write, because I feel like I’m so connected to God right then,” she said.