NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE—On March 3, Carl Thomas Dean, husband to country music legend Dolly Parton died. He was 82. Parton issued the following statement regarding her husband’s passing:
Carl Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with only family attending. Dean leaves behind his loving wife, Dolly Parton, and his siblings Sandra and Donnie.
“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.”
The family has requested privacy at this time.
The country star mentioned her husband, Carl Dean in many interviews, but left out the details. When it came to the media, the couple kept their 58-year marriage private. No cause of death was given. Reports indicate Carl Dean was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2019.
According to his biography, “Inside Dolly Parton’s Private Marriage to Carl Dean,” Parton’s husband was an asphalt contractor. They met outside a laundromat in 1964. Dean told himself then, “I’m going to marry that girl,” and he did in 1966. What the public could see was a testimony to what marriage can be.
