- Dolly Parton has released a new song to celebrate her late husband, Carl Dean
- If You Hadn’t Been There marks their six decades together
- She met him as a teenager on the streets of Nashville
Dolly Parton has released a new song, If You Hadn’t Been There, to honour her late husband, Carl Dean, who died aged 82.
The 9 to 5 country legend recounted how they met when she was a teenager and how their love story will “never end” while announcing the song. The pair were married for more than six decades. They tied the knot in 1966.
“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him,” Parton posted on social media.
Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 7, 2025
‘If You Hadn’t Been There’ https://t.co/dUq9Fgwd3x pic.twitter.com/BYjAXmd7oj
Read more: Who was Dolly Parton’s husband Carl Dean?
What did Dolly Parton say when Carl Dean passed away?
The Jolene legend shared the news that the businessman had passed away earlier this week. Dean largely kept out of the spotlight despite his wife’s international superstardom.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 4, 2025
Parton said in a statement, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
How did Dolly Parton meet Carl Dean?
The blonde bombshell once recalled the first day she met Dean on the streets of Nashville.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 6, 2025
“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about,” Parton said.
Read more: Sabrina Carpenter and Dolly Parton release TikTok
Did they have any children?
Parton and Dean famously never had kids as she opted to focus on her record-breaking career. It has spanned songwriting, performing and starring in a string of movies like 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and others.
She reflected on her decision to Sage magazine, telling them, “When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t one of those burning things for me. I had my career and my music and I was travelling.”
“If I’d had kids, I’d have stayed at home with them. I’m sure and worried myself to death about them.
