Dolly Parton Speaks Out After Her Husband’s Passing

In an Instagram post Dolly Parton’s fans found out about her husband Carl Dean’s death. From the official Dolly Parton account this notice was released on the day he died: “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 was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.”

The post went on to quote Parton, “‘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.'”

Though he was an intensely private person Parton said Dean was supportive of her music career and fame all these years. He even was rumored to have frequently gone to Dollywood to visit her, traveling undetected since he didn’t permit his image to be used in the park exhibits.

In an interview from 2014 Parton told Dan Rather that when she attended a Broadcaster’s Music, Inc. award ceremony one year her husband had decided to go with her in the full tux and everything. She laughed as she described him tugging at his tux on the way home and declaring he wasn’t going to attend any more events like that. The celebrity life just didn’t suit him. Dean was known to be a very private person, shying away from the very spotlight his wife embraced.

The pair were together for over 60 years and had no children. But, their love was evident in the things Parton has always had to say about the marriage. She frequently described him as her best friend and the two as highly compatible, with his strong support of music and her businesses bolstering her career.

The two met when she had first arrived in Nashville, as she was washing her clothes at the laundromat. Dean went on to own an asphalt-paving business in Nashville and after he retired the pair often took RV trips where they relished quiet living. Both Dean and Parton have said over the years they wouldn’t trade their time together for anything in the world.

The singer addressed fans who showed an outpouring of love and sympathy for her loss. A follow up post by Parton a few days after his passing read: “This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”

Parton also released her new song written about Carl not long after his death. The title is “If You Hadn’t Been There” describing her husband’s faithful presence all through her life and career. She shared in a caption for the song: “I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old. We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”