Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years died on March 3, according to a statement shared via the country music star’s Instagram. Carl Dean, who was 82 years old, married Dolly Parton on May 30, 1966. Despite spending decades together, Carl managed to stay out of the spotlight. Though he rarely attended public events with her, Dolly, 79, said she knew her husband truly loved her for who she is.
More from CafeMom: Kate Middleton and Prince William Are ‘Not Really Interested’ in Fame or Celebrity Life
In an interview shared months before Carl’s death, Dolly opened up about their marriage.
In May 2024, Dolly Parton explained that Carl’s desire to stay out of the limelight was never a problem. Even though they were different in that way, Carl really loved his wife. “To him, I’m his star,” she told E! News in an exclusive interview at the time. Having time apart from each other actually made their relationship stronger, Dolly explained.
“It’s worked for us because we both do different things and it’s exciting when we are together,” she told the news outlet. “So the fact that there’s some little space that makes it exciting when you go home.”
She detailed some of the special traditions and ‘date days’ they shared with each other.
At the time, Dolly said that she and her husband simply enjoyed spending time with each other in spite of their differences. “One of the things that we like to do — not necessarily a date night, we have a lot of date days — we have our little RV and we like to travel around,” she told E! News. “Going down and get some food or I’ll make a picnic and we go down to the river and have a picnic and just kind of ride around and do our little things.”
More from CafeMom: Princess Diana’s Former Lover Says She’d Be ‘Worried’ About Prince Harry and William’s Relationship
They continued to surprise each other with simple gestures.
In 2020, Dolly and Carl had been married for 54 years — and they continued to find ways to surprise each other. “We still have our little times, like in the springtime when the first yellow daffodils come out,” Dolly told People at the time. “Even if there’s still some snow around it, my husband always brings me a bouquet. And he’ll usually write me a little poem.” She thought the sweet gesture was “priceless” and “like a date in itself.”
Dolly would also surprise her husband with candlelight dinners. “It’s like certain days, you feel a certain way,” she told People. “And I’ll say, ‘I’m going to surprise him. And we’re going to have real cloth napkins and real crystal.'”
Dolly tried her hardest to keep her husband out of the spotlight.
In 2020, she told Entertainment Tonight that she “always respected and appreciated” her husband’s desire to stay out of the spotlight, so she “tried to keep him out of the limelight” to the best of her ability. “He said, ‘I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together,'” she explained.
Even though they were very “different people” in some ways, Dolly told Entertainment Tonight that they worked “so well together.”
Carl Dean died on March 3 at the age of 82.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Dolly said, “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.”
