Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, was last spotted in a rare public outing five years before his death.
Parton announced on Monday, March 3, that Dean had passed away at the age of 82.
Expressing her emotions, Parton, aged 79, shared on Instagram that she and Carl had enjoyed numerous happy years together. She conveyed that words could not truly capture the depth of their love that had endured for more than six decades. Parton also expressed her gratitude for the prayers and support she had received.
Back in 1966, during the rise of Parton’s music career, the couple exchanged vows. While Parton, known for hits like “Jolene,” soared to immense fame through her music, acting roles, and charitable endeavors, her husband Carl Dean chose to lead a remarkably private life away from the public eye.
Following Parton’s announcement, People magazine released images depicting Dean’s rare public appearance at a post office close to their Brentwood, Tennessee residence in December 2019. This marked the first time in four decades that Dean had been photographed in a public setting. The pictures captured Dean at 77 years of age, attired in jeans, a checkered shirt, and a tan coat, accompanied by an assistant as reported by People magazine.
“We’re the perfect partners,” Parton exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2022. “We both have a great sense of humor. … We’re able to solve any problem and any situation, making a joke about it and not letting it get too heavy, but we respect each other and we like each other. We lucked up, let’s put it that way.”
She added, “You know, most people can keep a marriage [going strong] if you make a little effort. Some people just get slouching and lazy and about stuff that ain’t important, like leaving the toilet seat up. And if that’s the worst thing you’ve to worry about, you’re already in trouble.”
The day after graduating from high school in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville from her hometown of Sevierville to pursue singing. She soon met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat.
When Dean set eyes on Parton, “My first thought was I’m gonna marry that girl,” he revealed on their 50th anniversary in 2016. “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.”
As for Dolly, “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
Dean supported his wife’s high-profile career but wasn’t interested in being famous himself. He disliked the spotlight so much that he avoided attending events with his wife.
While interviewing Parton for a profile in 1979, a Cosmopolitan reporter finally caught a glimpse of Dean. “Tall and good-looking, rather like a young Gregory Peck, he has a way of moving his angular body so that he seems to come toward you in sections,” the article read. “He is a fan of television and nightclub comic Steve Martin.”
Parton previously addressed Dean’s need for privacy in a 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“A lot of people have thought that [he doesn’t exist] through the years, because he does not want to be in the spotlight at all,” Parton told the outlet. “It’s just not who he is. He’s, like, a quiet, reserved person.”
“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,” Parton said at the time, adding that she “always respected and appreciated” that side of him.
