Dolly Parton Issues Statement Following The Death Of Her Husband, Carl Dean
on Mar 04, 2025
Dolly Parton is mourning the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away Monday (March 3) at the age of 82.
Dolly Parton was only 18 when she first met Carl Dean outside of the Wishy Washy laundromat in Nashville. Dean once shared that he knew right away he was going to marry her.
“I’m gonna marry that girl. My second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good lookin.’ And that was the day my life began,” Dean said in a rare public statement.
Two years later, the couple said, “I do.” Over the course of their marriage, Carl remained out of the spotlight, choosing to support Dolly’s dreams from behind the scenes. Despite being total opposites, the pair made their marriage work and exemplified a successful marriage in an industry where not many make it.
Dolly and Carl never had children, instead choosing to enjoy a quiet private life together and focusing on philanthropic efforts.
RELATED: 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DOLLY PARTON’S VERY PRIVATE HUSBAND
The “Jolene” singer told Bunnie XO in an interview just a few months ago, that Carl is a good guy.
“Parton told Bunnie XO that Carl is “a good guy. “He’s quiet and I’m loud and we’re funny.” She added, “Anytime things get too much tension going on, either one of us can find a joke about it.”
Dolly Parton retired from touring to be close to home with her husband.
In 2022, the country legend announced that she would no longer be touring in order to stay close to her Nashville-area home. She told Good Housekeeping, “I don’t tour anymore. I’ve got so many business things I’m doing. And my husband and I are getting older…and I kind of need to be with him.”
She further explained to Pollstar, saying that she would hate to be gone from home and had to leave because “somebody got sick at home and needed me.”
“I have no intention of going on a full-blown tour anymore. I’ve done that my whole life, and it takes so much time and energy. I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband,” Dolly told the outlet. “We’re getting older now, and I don’t want to be gone for four or five weeks at a time. Something could happen. I would not feel right about that, if I were gone and somebody needed me. Or I would feel bad if I had to leave a tour if somebody got sick at home and needed me and then I had to walk out on the fans.”
Carl had reportedly been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019, although Dolly has never confirmed the claim.
Carl Dean Dies at 82
Monday evening (March 3), Dolly Parton’s team announced that Carl Dean, Dolly’s husband of nearly 60 years, had died in Nashville. They shared that Dean would be buried in a private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance.
The post included a brief statement from Dolly about her late husband and their life together.
She wrote, “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.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Dolly Parton during this difficult time.
Hear her talk about her marriage to Carl Dean in the video below.
