Country music superstar Dolly Parton announces the passing of her husband of almost 60 years, Carl Dean, at the age of 82

Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, died Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 82.

Parton’s publicist shared with The Associated Press that Dean’s funeral will be a private event, attended only by immediate family members.

Reflecting on her relationship with Dean, Parton expressed her gratitude for the many years they spent together, spanning over 60 years. She conveyed her appreciation for the love they shared and thanked everyone for their prayers and condolences.

The family has asked for respect and privacy at this time. No cause of death was announced.

Parton met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at 18.

Parton recalled a memorable encounter with Dean, noting his rare act of looking directly at her face while engaging in conversation. She was pleasantly surprised by his genuine interest in getting to know her better.

They married two years later, on Memorial Day – May 30, 1966 – in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia.

Dean was a businessman, having owned an asphalt-paving business in Nashville. His parents, Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean, had three children. Parton referred to his mother as “Mama Dean.”

Dean is survived by Parton and his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie.

Parton and Dean kept their relationship private for decades, Parton telling The Associated Press in 1984: “A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me.”

She joked that she’d like to pose with him on the cover of a magazine “So that people could at least know that I’m not married to a wart or something.”