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Not much is known about Dolly Parton’s late husband, Carl Dean, but we’re sharing everything we do know about him.

Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died Monday (March 3, 2024) after living a very private life alongside his superstar wife. The couple married on May 30, 1966, two years after he spotted her at a local laundry mat.

She informed him she did not want to be a housewife, instead she wanted to pursue her dreams of being a country music singer, and we know exactly how that turned out.

50+ years after their private wedding, they renewed their vows in a big ceremony. He was very good at staying out of the spotlight, and Dolly didn’t talk about him too much. There’s so much we want to know about him!

We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to, so here are seven things you NEED to know about Parton’s husband!

1. He Loved Dolly Very Much

It's 52 years of marriage for @DollyParton and Carl Dean! Tweet 'em lots of ❤️ today, y'all. pic.twitter.com/3RJCGHLF7C

— CMT (@CMT) May 30, 2018

Even though he lived his life out of the public eye, unlike his very famous wife, that doesn’t mean Carl loved Dolly any less.

They were married nearly 60 years and Dolly called him her best friend.

“We’ve just been best buddies and best friends and, evidently, it’s working!” she told Parade Magazine.

2. Distance Made His Heart Grow Fonder

Since he didn’t hit the road with Dolly, Carl spent most of his time at their home outside of Nashville.

“My husband is a loner,” Dolly told People Magazine. “He doesn’t particularly care about being around anybody but me. He’s just always asked me to leave him out of all this. He does not like all the hullabaloo.”

According to an insider at Closer Weekly, in 2015, Dolly was away from home for 165 days out of the year.

“Theirs isn’t a traditional marriage, but it works for them,” a friend tells the magazine. “Carl’s attitude is, ‘You go do your thing and I’ll do mine… see you when you get home!’”

"The secret to a long marriage is to stay gone." – Dolly Parton, who married Carl Dean on this day in 1966. They're still together. pic.twitter.com/ia6flZGAiF

— PurpleClover (@PurpleClvr) May 31, 2017

3. Carl Dean and Dolly Parton Were Total Opposites

If you couldn’t tell already, Dolly and her husband were the epitome of the phrase “opposites attract.”

For a woman as famous as Dolly, she was married to a man who hates the spotlight!

“We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun. I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me,” she told People Magazine.

Another secret to her long-lasting marriage? Respect.

“He doesn’t like crowds,” she told Huffington Post. “And I respect his privacy. I respect the fact that he loves to be out of the limelight. That’s one of the reasons I think we’ve lasted so long.”

4. He Had A Successful Business

Carl owned and operated an asphalt-laying company in Nashville since 1977.

His business was still running after almost 40 years, so we’d say it’s a success!

5. He And Dolly Loved Taking Trips In Their RV

♫ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ♫
1942 Carl Dean is born at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville. He is destined to marry Dolly Parton, a role in which becomes known for his avoidance of public sightings. pic.twitter.com/Zi1IbT4wts

— Terry Jennings (@TerryJennings33) July 20, 2018

When Dolly had down time, she and Carl loved taking their RV out and just driving around together. They saw all of Tennessee and Kentucky.

“We sightsee all of Tennessee and Kentucky,” she says. “The areas that we can get back home from at night. Sometimes we’ll stay over at a Days Inn where we can just pull up and sneak me in. We don’t care, as long as the bed’s clean and there’s a bathroom. That’s how we live.”

They even went through restaurant drive-thrus in the RV!

6. He’s Only Seen Dolly Perform “A Time Or Two”

Dolly was on Ellen DeGeneres’ show a few years ago and Dolly revealed that Carl was “nervous seeing [her] perform.”

“It’s almost like seeing your kid in a recital,” she told the talk show host. “He’s afraid I’ll mess up. Actually he has seen me a time or two and it did relax him a little. He saw that I do mess up and it’s OK because people are not going to punish me for it.”

She also says that who she is on stage is not who she is at home.

“When I am on stage, I am Dolly Parton – and the faker I look, with the hair and the double Ds and all, the more real I am, the more true to my roots,” she told the Daily Mail. “But when I am at home, cleaning out the fish Carl has caught or still putting on the laundry, I am Dolly Dean.”

7. He’s Been To ONE A-List Event

Dolly brought Carl to a BMI dinner in 1966. She was receiving her first songwriting award for penning the Bill Phillips hit “Put It Off Until Tomorrow.”

“This was my first big record. It went to No. 1 for Bill, and it was BMI’s Song of the Year,” Parton told The Boot. “So Carl and I got dressed up, he was in a tux, and we drove to the dinner. We got out and walked up the red carpet and went inside and sat through dinner and the awards, and I went up and got my award.”

During the car ride home, Carl turned to her and said, “Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I’m happy for you, but don’t you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!”

And she never did. They had a unique marriage, but they made it work because they loved each other and when they were together, they had a grand ol’ time!

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