Dolly Partonsays that losing her husband, Carl Dean, in March 2025, brought new meaning to one of her songs.
Parton made that admission while speaking to fellow country star and recent collaborator, Zac Brown, this week in a conversation published by Interview Magazine.
The 79-year-old country legend was talking about the song she made with Brown, “Butterfly,” released as a single on Sept. 5, 2025, and featured on Zac Brown Band’s new album, Love & Fear, released on Dec. 5, 2025.
Already touching on themes of breaking cycles and perseverence, “Butterfly” can be interpreted many ways. On December 11, Brown told Parton, “When I was writing it, I was thinking about my kids.”
“They’re kind of in a bubble when they’re at home, and they don’t really know what real struggle looks like yet, but it’s coming as they’re hopping out of the nest, one after the other,” Brown continued.
He added, “And I know that you’ve been through so much these last few months, I can’t even imagine.”
Parton responded, telling Brown, “Let me just say, ‘cause you had talked about what I’ve been going through when I lost my husband, Carl, I’m sure you were referring to. But that song, after a lot of these things have been going on, it took on a new meaning.”
She explained, “It means something different to me listening to it through a lot of my heartaches and struggles. You can apply it to whatever you are going through just to say there is hope, and just get out there and fly. For myself, I go through a lot, but I was born with a happy heart. I want to be happy. I work at being happy like some people work at being sad.”
It’s certainly been a tough year for Parton, who also lost one of her “dearest friends” and fellow country music star Jeannie Sealyin August.
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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