Carl Dean, the husband of Dolly Parton for over 60 years, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, as announced by the singer on Monday through social media. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t express the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” Parton wrote in a statement. Dean was 82 years old. According to Parton’s publicist, Dean died on Monday, and a private funeral will be held for immediate family only.
The couple first met in 1964 outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat on the day Parton moved to Nashville. Parton later recalled that Dean “swept her off her feet,” and they married two years later. In an interview to mark their 50th anniversary, Parton reflected on how Dean was genuinely interested in her and looked at her face—something rare for her.
Dean, a businessman who ran an asphalt-laying company in Nashville until his retirement, stayed largely out of the public eye throughout Parton’s rise to fame, and they were seldom seen together in public. In a 2011 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Parton revealed that Dean had only attended a few of her performances because he “gets nervous.” In 2016, Parton expressed surprise that he agreed to renew their vows, given his shyness, but noted he was proud of their 50-year marriage.
The couple did not have children. When asked if she regretted it in a 2019 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Parton firmly replied, “No, absolutely not. It wasn’t meant to be, and I never regretted it.” She emphasized that she chose her path and continues to follow it with no plans of stopping.
Dean is survived by his siblings, Sandra and Donnie, as mentioned in Parton’s statement.
