Carl Dean, Dolly Parton's Husband Of Nearly 60 Years, Passes Away

Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, has passed away. He was 82, and no cause of death has been revealed.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” a statement from the country music icon reads. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

The family has requested privacy at this time. Dean will be commemorated with a private ceremony with his immediate family. He’s survived by two siblings, Sandra and Donnie.

Parton and Dean married on 30 May 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. In 2011, she said of their relationship: “We’re really very proud of our marriage. It’s the first for both of us. And the last.”

In May 2016, the couple renewed their vows in honour of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Although Parton and Dean never had children, they did help raise several of Parton’s younger siblings in Nashville. Her nieces and nephews often referred to them as Uncle Peepaw and Aunt Granny. Meanwhile, Parton is Miley Cyrus's godmother.

Parton and Dean met outside the Wishy Washy laundromat on the day she moved to Nashville. Parton was 18 when she met her husband, whom she married two years later.

Dean was a businessman who owned an asphalt-paving business in Nashville. A private individual, he avoided the spotlight and didn’t accompany his wife to large events.

In a 2023 interview with Countrytown, Parton revealed that Dean was an inspiration behind her Rockstar album—particularly the track Open Arms, originally recorded by the rock band Journey.

“Steve Perry is singing with me on it, and he's the one that had the original on that years ago – it was a big hit.” Citing Dean, who she previously called a “rock and roll freak,” she continued, “My husband always loved it and always thought I should have recorded it with Kenny Rogers, but I never got a chance to do that.

“So, when I started doing the rock album, I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to record Open Arms, and then I’m going to ask Steve Perry to sing it with me.’ I wish I had written it.”

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