Carl Dean, the long-time husband of country music icon Dolly Parton, passed away on Monday at the age of 82. His death was confirmed by Parton’s publicist, and he is set to be buried in a private ceremony attended only by immediate family.
Dolly Parton expressed her deep sorrow in a statement, reflecting on their nearly 60 years together. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” she wrote.
The couple first met when Parton moved to Nashville at the age of 18, outside a laundromat. She fondly recounted how Dean was genuinely interested in her, a rare experience for her at the time. They married in a modest ceremony on Memorial Day in 1966, two years after their initial meeting.
Though Dean preferred to stay out of the limelight, he was an influential figure in Parton’s life, inspiring her famous song “Jolene.” Parton has previously shared that the song was written about a bank teller who displayed an interest in Dean, much to Parton’s amusement. She has described it as both a light-hearted take on jealousy and an innocent reflection of their relationship.
Dean was a businessman who ran an asphalt-paving venture in Nashville. He is survived by Parton and his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie. His parents, Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean, raised three children, and Parton affectionately referred to his mother as “Mama Dean.”
The family has requested privacy as they mourn their loss, while no specific cause of death has been revealed. Parton has consistently shielded details about her marriage from public view, even playfully acknowledging in past interviews that some sceptics doubted Dean’s existence altogether due to his absence from the public sphere.
In recent years, Parton mentioned how Dean inspired tracks on her 2023 album “Rockstar.” She lovingly described him as a “big rock and roller” and included some of his favourite songs from her repertoire, such as “My Blue Tears,” along with covers of classic rock hits.
Parton and Dean’s relationship remained a cherished private bond, enduring through decades of public scrutiny and the dynamics of fame, allowing them to cultivate a life steeped in love and mutual affection.