Dolly Parton announced the death of her beloved husband Carl Thomas Dean on March 3 and paid tribute to the ‘many wonderful years’ they shared together.
It’s no secret that Carl was a very private man – especially when it came to his romance with Dolly – but he stood by the singer through thick and thin, and was also by her side throughout the highs and lows of her lengthy career.
Not only was Carl the man who inspired Dolly’s 1973 hit song Jolene, he actually knew the hitmaker before she found fame.
The pair met one another for the first time outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day that Dolly moved to Nashville in 1964 at the age of 18. Carl was 21.
In a 1976 interview with The New York Times, Dolly, 79, recalled that day and admitted: ‘I’d come to Nashville with dirty clothes.
‘I was in such a hurry to get here. And after I’d put my clothes in the machine, I started walkin’ down the street, just lookin’ at my new home, and this guy hollered at me, and I waved.
Dolly Parton announced the death of her beloved husband Carl Thomas Dean on March 3 and paid tribute to the ‘many wonderful years’ they shared together
Dolly met Carl in 1964 on the day she moved to Nashville. She was 18 at the time and he was 21
Carl was a businessman and owned an asphalt-paving business in Nashville, Tennessee
‘Bein’ from the country, I spoke to everybody. And he came over and, well, it was Carl, my husband,’ she revealed.
Carl was one of three children. His parents Virgina ‘Ginny’ Bates Dean and Edgar ‘Ed’ Henry Dean welcomed him on July 20, 1942.
He grew up to be a businessman and owned an asphalt-paving business in Nashville, Tennessee.
Carl made the decision to stay out of the spotlight over the years, but in a rare interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2016, he opened about the day he first set eyes on Dolly.
‘My first thought was, “I’m gonna marry that girl.” 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,’ he gushed.
Two years after meeting one another, Dolly and Carl married on May 30, 1966, in Ringgold, Georgia, in a simple and private ceremony.
Over the years, Dolly described her husband as a ‘loner’ and revealed he was ‘a quiet, reserved person.’
‘He does not want to be in the spotlight at all,’ she told Entertainment Tonight in 2020.
Two years after first meeting, the couple got married in Ringgold, Georgia, in May 1966
Dolly once described Carl as a ‘loner’ and said he was a ‘quiet, reserved person’ who wasn’t interested in fame
‘It’s just not who he is. He’s like a quiet, reserved person and he figured if he ever got out there in that, he’d never get a minute’s peace and he’s right about that.
‘I’ve always respected and appreciated that in him, and I’ve always tried to keep him out of the limelight as much as I can,’ she explained.
‘He said, “I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.” And we do and we have,’ Dolly added.
But despite staying out of the limelight, Carl found himself very much in it when Dolly penned Jolene about a woman who had been flirting with him in real life.
‘She got this terrible crush on my husband,’ Dolly told NPR in 2008, referring to the woman she sings about.
‘And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention,’ the singer recalled.
‘It was kinda like a running joke between us – when I was saying, “Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.”
‘So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one,’ she said of the much-loved track, which was covered by Beyoncé last year.
Carl was pictured looking frail in 2019 but a cause of death was not disclosed when Dolly announced his passing on March 3
The 79-year-old singer posted a statement on Instagram and thanked everyone for their ‘prayers and sympathy’
But despite suffering from feelings of jealousy, Dolly remained with Carl and the duo clearly had a very happy and successful marriage.
Announcing his death on Monday, the blond singer wrote on Instagram: ‘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.’
She also confirmed that Carl, 82, was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie, and that he would be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family. The couple never had children.
A cause of death was not disclosed, although the post noted Dean died in Nashville, Tennessee, where the couple resided.
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