Dolly Parton made her first public appearance following the devastating loss of her husband, Carl Dean, after more than 60 years together. The grieving country music icon, 79, attended the premiere of her new theatre show, Threads: Songs in Symphony, which tells stories of her life through her hit songs.

Dolly told press at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Thursday night: “The songs are all special to me and just hearing them all done, and just hearing what the symphony and all the wonderful singers are going to do to them – that’s really what songwriters live for is to hear other people do your songs and hope that other people enjoy them.”

The Jolene singer managed to put on a brave face and looked as glamorous as ever, wearing a dazzling black and silver rhinestone dress designed by her lifelong creative director, Steve Summers.

Dolly wore her platinum blonde hair in her signature style and rocked multi-coloured eyeshadow in pink, purple and blue hues. She completed her look with drop earrings to match her bejewelled dress and towering high heels to boost her five-foot frame.

On Monday, Dolly gave fans an update on how she is coping following her husband’s death. She told Knox News: “I’m at peace that he’s at peace, but that don’t keep me from missing him and loving him.”

She explained that Carl “suffered a great deal” before his death on March 3 at the age of 82.

Parton was 18 when she famously met Carl outside a launderette in 1964. They married two years later and renewed their vows in 2016 to mark their 50th anniversary.

Three days after his death, the 11-time Grammy winner released her poignant new single, If You Hadn’t Been There, in honour of her late husband.