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Carl Dean, Dolly Parton's husband, dies at 82

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•03/03/25•

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Dolly Parton Cowboys halftime
Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

Carl Dean, the husband of country music legend Dolly Parton, has died. He was 82 years old. According to the Associated Press, Dean died in Nashville on Monday and will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. The cause of death was not announced.

“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie,” an Instagram post from Parton stated.

“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 sympathy,” Parton’s post continued. “The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”

Carl Dean and Dolly Parton first met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat when she moved to Nashville at age 18. The couple got married on Memorial Day — May 30, 1966 — in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia.

“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton said about meeting Dean. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”

What Dolly Parton has said about husband Carl Dean

Dean was born in Nashville in 1942 and was one of three children born to Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean. Dean and Parton kept their relationship private for decades.

“A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me,” Parton told the Associated Press in 1984.

As Parton’s music career began to rise, Dean stayed in the background and focused on his asphalt business while supporting her. As Parton’s image became sexier in the 1980s, she said it never bothered her.

“He’s not jealous, and I’m not either,” she told PEOPLE in 1981. “Carl is the one man in my life. I would love to grow old with him. If he should die first, I may never marry again. My love is that deep.”

Parton is arguably the most successful country singer of all time. She has sold over 100 million records, has had 25 singles reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts and has won 11 Grammy Awards..