At the age of 82, Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, passed away, leaving her in mourning. The couple, who were married for over 60 years, kept a lot of their relationship hidden, but their romance is among the most enduring in country music.
The iconic singer, who is 79 now, broke the sad news on Instagram, announcing that Dean passed away on Monday, March 3, in Nashville.
“Carl and I had many wonderful years together. Words can’t do the love we had for more than 60 years justice. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” she posted.
Dean’s funeral will be a private service, honoring the family’s desire to keep their grief private during this time. He is survived by his brothers and sister, Donnie and Sandra, who, together with Parton, requested space to mourn in privacy.
Their romance started in 1964 when Parton had only recently arrived in Tennessee. The two of them met in front of the Wishy Washy laundromat in Nashville, and this encounter would determine the course of their future lives. Within two years, in 1966, they went to Georgia to get married, starting a marriage that would endure for close to six decades.
Remembering their first meeting, Parton recently posted a moving reflection on her website when they celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2016.
“I was surprised and pleased that as he spoke to me, he gazed into my face (something unusual for me),” she wrote. “He appeared to be interested in getting to know who I was and what I was about.”
In contrast to most of their high-profile celebrity counterparts, Parton and Dean avoided a limelight lifestyle in favor of leading a secluded existence. The pair only appeared publicly together occasionally, with Dean largely avoiding the public eye. Yet Parton frequently discussed the deep connection that she and Dean share and the secret to their successful marriage.
“People say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going,'” she once said. “There’s a lot to be said about that.”
She said that they did have differences that actually made their relationship better. Dean didn’t work in the entertainment field at all, so they were able to have different interests and yet still enjoy the things they enjoyed doing together.
“So we’re not in each other’s face all the time. He’s not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and vice versa,” she revealed in an interview with ET Canada.
Parton also attributed their mutual sense of humor as an integral component of their long-lasting love.
“We both have a twisted sense of humor. And I believe humor, really, is one of the greatest things when you’re married like that. Even if you do have an issue, if you have a wonderful sense of humor, if you say something you can’t take back [you] generally have some zany way of getting out of it.”
Their union was based on respect and admiration for each other, and Dean was among Parton’s strongest supporters. Although he did not like being in the limelight, he never failed to appreciate her songs.
“He adores all of the songs,” she once divulged, saying that he always wanted to hear what she was composing.
And I haven’t told him yet who I’m gonna have on it. I don’t even know myself, who everybody’s going to be on it. But he’ll be crazy about it. I’m doing so many of his favorites on the album, so I’ll play it for him when it’s done.
Dean also inadvertently helped to inspire one of Parton’s most popular songs, “Jolene.” She once explained the inspiration behind the song, recounting how a bank teller developed a special fondness for her husband.
“She got this awful crush on my husband,” Parton said in 2008 to NPR. “And he just loved going to the bank because she gave him so much attention.”
What might have otherwise been a stressful moment became an inside joke for the couple.
“It was kinda like a running joke between us… So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a horrendous one,” she said.
Although they never had children of their own, Parton and Dean’s love was unshakeable. Their close to six-decade-long marriage was a true testament to their love, which was founded on trust, laughter, and steadfast support.
Dolly Parton was left in sadness after her husband, Carl Dean, died at the age of 82. The couple, who have been married for more than 60 years, have one of the longest-lasting romances in country music, while keeping much of their relationship private.
Fans have long adored Parton and her tight relationship, as evidenced by the rare photos she has shared over the years. Despite his dying, the love story of Dolly Parton and Carl Dean remains one for the ages, a wonderful example of a partnership that lasted the test of time.
Parton’s words perfectly express the depth of her love and anguish as she laments the passing of the guy who been by her side for nearly 60 years. The memories and legacy of their amazing journey together will endure forever, even though Dean is no longer with us.
