- Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, has died aged 82
- The pair got hitched in 1966
- He was known to be incredibly supportive of the Jolene singer
Carl Dean, husband of country music icon Dolly Parton, has passed away at the age of 82.
The reclusive man – who kept largely out of the spotlight – married the 9 to 5 country icon in 1966. Dean opted to keep a low profile, running his asphalt paving company in Nashville.
Read more: Sabrina Carpenter and Dolly Parton release TikTok
In response to his death, Parton put out a statement celebrating their “many wonderful years together” and expressing gratitude for everyone’s love getting her through her grief.
Some sad news…
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 4, 2025
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of 58 years, has died.
He was 82.
“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." pic.twitter.com/8D4kpXswbK
“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,” Dolly’s statement read.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 4, 2025
Parton once recalled how they met outside a laundromat on the first day she arrived in Nashville aged 18 in 1964.
She continued, “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.”
Did Dolly Parton and Carl Dean have any children?
Famously, Parton never became a mother, opting to focus on making and touring music.
The country superstar has written and recorded 49 studio albums and starred in a string of blockbusters. Her most famous tracks include 9 to 5 and films like Steel Magnolias and The Beverly Hillbillies.
Read more: Sabrina Carpenter collabs with Dolly Parton on song
“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,” she told Sage magazine. “If I’d had kids, I’d have stayed at home with them. I’m sure and worried myself to death about them.
What is the story behind the song Jolene?
The Why’d You Come In Here Looking Like That singer shared the story behind the heartbreaking song Jolene while performing at Glastonbury in 2014. The ditty comes from the point-of-view of someone begging someone else not to take her man away.
The real-life inspiration came from a bank teller who was a little bit too flirty with Dean.
“Now, some of you may or may not know that this song was loosely based on a little bit of truth,” Parton told the crowd assembled at the Pyramid Stage. “I wrote that years ago when my husband [was] spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should be.”
However, Parton was able to see the influx of cash into her bank account as a reason to be grateful for the threat she posed.
She continued, “I got rid of that redhead woman in a hurry. I want you folks to know, though, that something good can come from anything. Had it not been for that woman, I would never have written Jolene, and I wouldn’t have made all that money, so thank you, Jolene.”
