How Dolly Parton honored husband Carl Dean after his death and what to know about their 'many wonderful years together'
Dolly Parton shared a statement to social media on Monday , following the death of her longtime husband, Carl Dean. Dean passed away on March 3 at the age of 82 in Nashville.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together," Parton wrote. "Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathies."
Despite rarely making public appearances alongside Parton, Dean harbored a deep love and respect for his wife, something which was instrumental to Parton's perseverance and success throughout her career, Parton told Knox News in 2024.
"There's always that safety, that security, that strength," Parton told Knox News. "He's a good man, and we've had a good life and he's been a good husband."
According to Parton's social media post, Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony attended by immediate family.
How did Dolly Parton and Carl Dean meet?
As previously reported by Knox News, an 18-year-old Parton met Dean in 1964 — the very first day she moved to Nashville. She was leaving the Wishy Washy Laundromat when 21-year-old Dean waved and spoke to her.
"My first thought was 'I'm gonna marry that girl.' My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin,'" Dean recalled in 2016 after the couple renewed their vows for their 50thwedding anniversary. "And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."
Soon after they started dating Dean enlisted in the military. When he returned to Nashville, Parton's career was just taking off and because her record label didn't want her married, the couple secretly wed in Ringgold, Georgia, in 1966 to keep their nuptials out of Nashville papers.
Did Carl Dean inspire Dolly Parton's 'Jolene?'
One of Parton's biggest hits — "Jolene" — was inspired by Dean and the affections of a red-headed bank teller . Back in 2008, Parton revealed to NPR that her 1973 hit was born out of the real bank teller's "terrible crush" on her husband.
"And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention," Parton told NPR. "It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one."
The name Jolene, however, had a different origin. Parton once signed an autograph for a "beautiful little" 8-year-old girl named Jolene, she told NPR, and the name stood out to her.
Did Dolly Parton and Carl Dean have children?
The couple did not have any children together.
Why was Carl Dean rarely seen with Dolly Parton? What did he do for a living?
Unlike his bubbly wife, Dean shied away from the spotlight and opted to support Parton's country music career from afar.
An awards show in 1966 was enough glamour for him, he decided.
Following the event he told Parton, "I love you, and I will support you in your career any way I can, but I am not going to any more of these wingdings," Parton revealed in her 1994 autobiography "Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business."
From then on, Dean chose to focus on his real estate dealings and tended to the couple's Nashville ranch, all while shooing away pesky reporters, reported USA TODAY.
"He never wanted to be part of any of that, never did interviews. (He) would just run like a scalded dog. If somebody said, 'Are you Carl Dean? Can you answer a few questions?' 'No, I don't answer questions,'" Parton told Knox News while imitating Dean.
Contributing: USA TODAY
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Dolly Parton honored husband Carl Dean and the years shared
