The singer appeared Friday at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee, where she helped launch the resort’s 40th season following Dean’s death on March 3.

Dolly Parton celebrates the 40th anniversary of Dollywood.Credit: Curtis Hilbun/Dollywood

Legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton has made her first public appearance since the death of her longtime husband, Carl Dean, on March 3.

Following Dean’s death earlier this month at the age of 82, Parton surprised attendees Friday at Dollywood’s Celebrity Theater to help the theme park’s team kick off the Pigeon Forge, Tenn. resort’s 40th operating season. The appearance came 11 days after Parton’s famously private husband died in his hometown of Nashville after the couple were married nearly 60 years.

During her appearance, Parton told the audience, “Of course I will always love him, and I’ll miss him, but I wanted you to know that I will always love you,” according to local news.

Parton earlier released a statement announcing Dean’s death and later followed it with a message on Instagram.

“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” the country legend wrote. “Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband, Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you, but just know it has meant the world to me.”

She then referenced her 1974 song “I Will Always Love You” (later covered by Whitney Houston), adding, “He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”

Dolly Parton and husband Carl Dean in the mid-’80s.Dolly Parton/Instagram

Parton released a song paying tribute to Dean on March 7. She dedicated the tune, titled “If You Hadn’t Been There,” to him, and accompanied it with another message. “Like all great love stories, they never end,” Parton wrote. “They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”

Parton’s appearance marked Dollywood’s 40th anniversary, with the performer offering attendees a look back at some of the park’s most memorable moments and previewing what was ahead for the Smoky Mountains–based resort.

The season passholder and media event also kicked off the I Will Always Love You Music Festival, which is billed as “a celebration of Dolly’s iconic song of the same name” in festival form.