Dolly Parton has revealed her husband Carl Dean was "ill for quite a while" before he died.
In March, the country music icon announced that her spouse of almost 60 years had passed away at the age of 82.
While Carl was notoriously private and rarely seen in public, in an interview for The Associated Press published on Thursday, Dolly shared that her husband had been unwell before his death.
"I really feel his presence. I just try to go on, because I know I have to. And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore," she told the outlet. "But that still doesn't make up for the loss and the loneliness of it."
Dolly didn't divulge any further details about Carl's illness.
However, she noted that the businessman was always "very proud" of her.
"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," the 79-year-old continued.
The Jolene hitmaker is currently promoting her new book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, and is working on a musical inspired by her life and career.
"I just think that if you're successful, if you are lucky enough to see your dreams come true, you need to make new dreams out of your other dreams," she added.
Star of the Show: My Life on Stage is set to be released on 11 November.