Dolly Parton kept painful secret from fans before husband's tragic death

has admitted that she kept her late husband Carl Dean's health battle a secret from fans. The 78-year-old music icon admitted that her spouse had been sick for some time in an interview with The Independent. She told the outlet on Wednesday (May 28) explained that the star had been "ill for quite a while" before his passing at the age of 82 on March 3.

The Tennessee-born hitmaker told the outlet: "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. But that still doesn't make up for the loss and the loneliness of it."

The Here You Come Again singer also revealed religion as a major factor in her life after dealing with her husband's passing after his extended illness.

She went on: "I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I'm going to see him again someday. And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we've built together.

"You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans - but that's the hardest part." Parton told the in a statement upon Dean's passing that he died in Nashville and had a private funeral.

The singer gushed: "Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Worlds can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."

The blonde bombshell previously said her signature hit Jolene was inspired by a stunning bank teller who had been partial to her husband.

She made the surprising revelation about the track, which came out in October 1973, while in concert at the 2014.

reported at the time that Parton told the crowd: "Now, some of you may or may not know that the song was loosely based on a little bit of truth. I wrote that years ago when my husband... was spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should be."

As the crowd booed, Parton reassured her fans that she "put a stop to that" and "got rid of that redhead woman in a hurry". She informed the audience that by channelling her emotions from the uncomfortable situation into a Grammy-winning song ultimately made her incredibly wealthy and secured her place in the Hollywood Hall of Fame.

Dolly explained: "I want you folks to know, though, that something good can come from anything. Had it not been for that woman I would never have written Jolene, and I wouldn't have made all that money, so thank you, Jolene."

Speaking with in a 2008 chat, Parton aid that the woman who inspired the track had "this terrible crush on [her] husband and he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention.

"It was kinda like a running joke between us when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money'. So it's really an innocent song all around, but it sounds like a dreadful one."

She told the publication that the bank teller had very different features to her in almost every way. Dolly explained: "She had everything I didn't, like legs. You know, she was about six-feet-tall.

"So no matter how beautiful a woman might be, you're always threatened by certain... you're always threatened by another woman, period."