Dolly Parton shares statement as husband of nearly 60 years Carl Dean dies at 82: ‘Words can’t do justice’
Carl Dean, the husband of country music icon Dolly Parton, has died at the age of 82, the singer announced on Monday.
Dean passed away on 3 March in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” Parton wrote in an Instagram post.
“Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” she added.
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The statement also noted that Dean “will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending”.
He is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.
The family has requested privacy during this difficult time as they mourn Dean’s passing.
The couple had been married for nearly six decades, with their relationship spanning Parton’s entire career in the spotlight.
Parton and Dean first met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at age 18.
Their relationship began two years before they married on 30 May 1966 in a small ceremony.
Throughout their nearly 60-year marriage, the couple maintained an intensely private relationship.
Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony attended only by immediate family members.
The businessman from Nashville deliberately stayed away from his wife’s public life and career.
Parton shared very few photographs of her husband over the decades, respecting his desire for privacy.
Their enduring relationship remained largely behind closed doors despite Parton’s global fame and success.
Dean was known for deliberately avoiding the limelight throughout Parton’s illustrious career.
In a November 2023 interview for her Apple Music show, Parton explained why they kept their relationship so private.
“Carl has never been in the limelight and all, never wanted to be in it. He don’t like it,” she said.
Dean attended only one industry event early in their marriage.
“He went to one thing with me early on when we first married to a BMI Song of the Year (event), and he came out there taking off his tuxedo, his tie and all that,” Parton revealed.
He then told her, “Don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going.”