Dolly Parton’s Husband, Carl Dean, Granted His First Interview In 2016
on Mar 05, 2025
Dolly Parton’s Husband Carl Dean Never Granted An Interview…Until 50 Years After They Wed
If you’ve been a longtime Dolly Parton fan, you may just assume that her husband, Carl Dean, never granted an interview. After all, Dean was a private person who had no desire to step into the spotlight with his famous wife.
But it turns out that Dean did grant an interview on one occasion, 50 years after he and Parton said, “I do.”
When they married in 1966, Parton and Dean didn’t get to have the wedding they originally planned. Parton’s record label had asked her to postpone her wedding, believing that she’d be more successful if she remained single. But she and Dean eloped to Georgia instead, hoping no one in Nashville would hear about it.
They tied the knot on May 30, 1966. The preacher, his wife, and Dolly’s mama were the only people in attendance.
The couple finally got the chance to have their big wedding when they held a vow renewal ceremony for their 50th anniversary in 2016. Parton couldn’t stop gushing about the event in the weeks leading up to it.
A press release issued at the time revealed that Parton and Dean renewed their vows during a private ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. Although Parton looked forward to the ceremony, her mysterious husband was more reluctant to participate.
“In all honesty, the only way I was able to get Carl to do any of this in the first place was that it was a great opportunity for us to raise money for some very worthy causes,” Parton said.
Carl Dean Spoke About His Love For Dolly
Parton and Dean planned to sell photos from their renewal ceremony to benefit charity. These pictures have never surfaced, but if they did, they would offer a rare glimpse at the otherwise reclusive man.
Dean also agreed to be interviewed for the first time in honor of his and Parton’s anniversary. Journalists didn’t conduct the interview, and it wasn’t filmed. Rather, fans sent questions for Parton to ask her husband.
One of Dean’s responses was included in the press release about their vow renewal:
“My first thought was I’m gonna marry that girl,” Dean said, referring to when he first met his wife. “My second thought was, Lord she’s good lookin’. And that was the day my life began. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth.”
How sweet is that?
Parton and Dean’s marriage stood the test of time. They were married for just shy of 59 years before he passed away on March 3, 2025, at the age of 82.
Parton said, “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.”
May Carl Dean rest in peace…
