Dolly Parton has continued to publicly mourn the death of her husband, who passed away at the age of 82 on March 3. Carl Dean and Parton had been married for 58 years when her socials announced his passing. “Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie,” the statement said. Parton included a personal note as well. “Carl and I spent many wonderful ears together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” she wrote.
Parton shared a “love note” to thank the public for their support. “This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. 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,” wrote Parton. “I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”
She later shared another tribute to Dean on her Instagram. “I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” she wrote. “We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. 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 released the song “If You Hadn’t Been There” to honor her deceased husband.
Parton met her husband the first day she moved to Nashville at a laundromat. Dean pulled over while she was walking around and struck up a conversation. “And 50 years later, we’re still talking,” Parton said in a 2014 interview. Despite being told that being married so young at the start of her career was a bad idea, Parton eloped with Dean in a ceremony only attended by her mother. Parton’s popular song “Jolene,” was inspired by an incident involving Dean and a banker that was a little too flirtatious with him.
Despite Parton’s celebrity status, the couple had a fairly private relationship, with Dean mainly keeping out of the spotlight during their decades-long marriage. Parton, however, has spoken of her husband in the past and their love of doing things together such as traveling in their RV. The exact details of Dean’s passing were not shared and the family has asked for privacy during this time.