Dolly Parton’s Husband Carl Dean Passes Away at 82

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Carl Dean, the husband of country music icon Dolly Parton for nearly 60 years, died on Monday at age 82. The announcement came from Parton’s publicist, revealing that Dean passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, though no cause of death was disclosed.

Parton expressed her grief in a heartfelt statement, stating, “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.” Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony attended by immediate family, who have requested privacy during this difficult time.

The couple’s love story began when they met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat on the day Parton moved to Nashville at the age of 18. “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton recalled. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”

Two years later, they tied the knot on May 30, 1966, in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. Dean, a businessman who owned an asphalt-paving company in Nashville, maintained a low profile, largely avoiding the spotlight that accompanied his wife’s fame.

Born to Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean, Carl Dean is survived by Dolly Parton and his siblings, Sandra and Donnie. Parton affectionately referred to his mother as “Mama Dean.”

Despite her fame, Parton often kept their relationship private. In a 1984 interview with The Associated Press, she humorously noted, “A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me.” She even joked about wanting to pose with Dean on a magazine cover to prove his existence.

The couple’s loving relationship and Dean’s unwavering support have been a foundation for Parton throughout her illustrious career.