Dolly Parton couldn’t let her fans down! The makes her first public appearance at Dollywood after losing her husband of nearly 60 years.

Legendary singer Dolly Parton celebrated the 40th anniversary of her theme park, Dollywood, amongst a crowd of fans Friday in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Parton’s public appearance at the event marks her first since the death of her husband,

Dollywood is opening for it's 40th anniversary season on Saturday, with the park, and Dolly Parton herself, giving season passholders a first peek at the exciting additions to the park this year.

After her husband's death, Dolly Parton’s involvement in opening day at Dollywood became less of a certainty. But guests could still get a surprise.

Ahead of its 40th season, the Pigeon Forge theme park mourns with Dolly Parton after the death of Carl Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years.

Country music and theme park fans alike gathered inside Dollywood to hear from the park’s namesake, Dolly Parton, Friday morning.

Dollywood has been an East Tennessee institution since it opened in 1986. A reel of clips from television commercials for Dollywood from the year it opened through 2019 gives glimpses of what the theme park bearing Dolly Parton's name has featured over the years.