Dolly Parton could be seen struggling not to cry when Savannah Guthrie asked how she was coping with her husband's death on NBC News morning show Today. The country singer, 79, admitted she gets "very emotional" when people bring Carl Dean up.

When he died at the age of 82 on March 3, Parton shared a heartfelt statement with the public, saying: "Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."

She opened up more about their relationship on Today, sharing: "We were together 60 years. I've loved him since I was 18 years old." Parton went on to thank her fans for all the support they've provided in the form of flowers and sympathetic cards, joking, "I had no idea Carl Dean was so famous!"

The musician kept his cause of death private, but it seems to have been health related as she recently told Knox News Dean was suffering in the lead up to his death.

"He suffered a great deal," she admitted. "I'm at peace that he's at peace, but that don't keep me from missing him and loving him. It's a hole in my heart, you know, but we'll fill that up with good stuff and he'll still always be with me."

Dean was buried in a private ceremony only immediate family were invited to. After his death, Parton dedicated her new song If You Hadn't Been There to her late husband.

The lyrics of the hit reference the "ups and downs" Dean saw her through. In the heartbreaking single, Parton sings: "You've always seen the best in me, if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here."

The couple first met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat in Nashville when Parton was only 18. While looking back on that first encounter, she later shared: "I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about."

They ended up tying the knot just two years later, in 1966, in Ringgold, Georgia. Although Dean was married to one of the most famous singers in the world, he managed to stay out of the public eye while he was alive. He is thought to have lived a quiet life, supporting Parton as she toured and managing his asphalt paving business back at home in Nashville.

The singer's famous hit Jolene is said to be inspired by him. Speaking to Knox News, Parton opened up about how big of an adjustment it is to be living alone now after spending 60 years with the love of her life.

She told presenters: "I'm doing better than I thought I would. I've been with him 60 years. So, I'm going to have to relearn some of the things that we've done. But I'll keep him always close."