Carl Dean, the devoted husband of country music legend Dolly Parton, has passed away at the age of 82. Dean died in Nashville, Tennessee, as confirmed by Parton’s publicist. The cause of death was not disclosed. A private ceremony with only close family members will be held in his honor.
Parton, who shared nearly 60 years of marriage with Dean, expressed her deep sorrow in a heartfelt 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.”
Carl Dean & Dolly Parton: A Love Story That Started at a Laundromat
Their love story began when Parton was just 18 years old, the day she moved to Nashville. She met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat, and something about him stood out. “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton once recalled.
Two years later, on May 30, 1966, the couple tied the knot in a small, private ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. Despite Parton’s fame, Dean preferred a quiet life away from the spotlight. He was a successful businessman, running an asphalt-paving company in Nashville. His parents, Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean, raised him along with his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie.
The Man Who Inspired ‘Jolene’
One of Dolly Parton’s most famous songs, Jolene, was inspired by a real-life moment involving Dean. In a 2008 interview, Parton revealed that the song was about a charming bank teller who took a liking to her husband.
“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton shared. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us. I told him, ‘You’re spending a lot of time at the bank—I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.’”
Despite being married to one of the most famous women in the world, Dean stayed out of the public eye. Parton even joked that some people believed he didn’t exist. “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 once joked that she should pose with him on a magazine cover just to prove he wasn’t “a wart or something.”
Carl Dean is survived by his wife, Dolly Parton, and his siblings, Sandra and Donnie. His memory will live on through the love and laughter he shared with those closest to him.
