Carl Dean

14 Mar 2025

Dolly Parton Makes First Public Appearance Since Husband Carl Dean’s Death

Dolly Parton celebrated the opening of Dollywood’s 40th anniversary season on Friday morning (March 14), marking the country superstar’s first public appearance following the death of her beloved husband, Carl Dean.

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Parton started off the event thanking guests for their love and support after Dean’s passing. “I just want to say thank you and I love you for all the flowers, cards and well-wishes,” she said, per Knoxville, Tenn., news station WVLT, before referencing her iconic 1973 ballad, “I Will Always Love You.” “I just wanted you to know that of course, I will always love him. I will miss him, and of course I will always love you,” she said.

Dean was 82 years old at the time of his death. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton shared in her public statement. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

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The statement ends with requests for privacy from the family. A cause of death has yet to be publicly revealed. Parton and Dean met as young adults in Nashville, Tennessee, before they tied the knot on May 30, 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2016, the couple renewed their vows.

Following his death, Parton paid tribute to Dean with a heartfelt love song “If You Hadn’t Been There.”

04 Mar 2025

Billy Ray Cyrus & Tish Cyrus Send Love to Dolly Parton After Husband Carl Dean’s Death

Following the devastating news of Carl Dean‘s death, Billy Ray Cyrus and his ex-wife, Tish Cyrus, are sending love to their longtime friend, Dolly Parton, who is mourning her husband.

Parton announced his passing in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday (March 3), and both Billy Ray and Tish were among the countless celebrities who sent their condolences in the comment section. “Sending you all of my love @dollyparton!” the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer wrote alongside broken heart and prayer emojis.

“Love you Dolly ❤️,” Tish wrote in her comment, echoing the sentiment.

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Parton has been close with the Cyrus family for many years, stretching all the way back to when she toured with Billy Ray in the early 1990s. The “9 to 5” superstar is also the godmother of Miley Cyrus, and appeared multiple times alongside her goddaughter in the popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana.

Dean was 82 years old at the time of his death. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton shared in her public statement. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

The statement ends with requests for privacy from the family. A cause of death has yet to be publicly revealed. Parton and Dean met as young adults in Nashville, Tennessee, before they tied the knot on May 30, 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2016, the couple renewed their vows.

03 Mar 2025

Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s Husband of Nearly 60 Years, Dies at 82

Carl Dean, a Nashville businessman and beloved husband of Dolly Parton for nearly 60 years, died on Monday (March 3). He was 82 years old.

The news of his death was announced via Parton’s Instagram page, along with a statement from the country superstar. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” the statement reads. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

The statement ends with requests for privacy from the family. A cause of death has yet to be revealed.

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Dean and Parton met outside a laundromat in Nashville as young adults, the same day Parton arrived in Music City at 18 years old to pursue her dreams of a music career (at that point, Parton had released a handful of non-charting singles; she first entered the Hot Country Songs chart with “Dumb Blonde” not long after their marriage).

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“We had the car radio on,” Parton told Billboard of the day she met Dean. “I don’t remember what it was playing, but it was loud and it was rock ’n roll.”

Parton and Dean wed on May 30, 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. They renewed their vows in Nashville on their 50th anniversary in 2016.

Dean has famously been averse to the spotlight. Only rarely do photographs of the couple emerge, and Parton has said that Dean has only ever seen her perform live once. At various times during her career, she has even had to debunk rumors that her husband doesn’t exist. “A lot of people have thought that through the years, because he does not want to be in the spotlight at all,” Parton told Entertainment Tonight during an interview in 2020.

Parton recently discussed her relationship with Dean during an interview with Bunnie XO on the latter’s Dumb Blonde podcast in December, sharing the secret to their long-lasting marriage. “He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny,” she explained. “Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other [and] we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”

She added, “Anytime [there’s] too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far. We never fought back and forth. And I’m glad now that we never did, because once you start that, that becomes a lifetime thing.”

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

09 Dec 2024

Dolly Parton Tells Bunnie XO the Secret to Her 6-Decade Marriage: ‘He’s Quiet & I’m Loud’

If ever there was someone whose marriage advice was considered invaluable, it’s Dolly Parton.

The country veteran and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has been recording and releasing as a solo artist since 1967 – just one year after her marriage to the rarely-seen Carl Dean.

Together, the pair have been married for close to 60 years, though Dean has been known for his aversion to the spotlight. Having met in a laundromat on the day she moved to Nashville, only rarely do photographs of the pair emerge, and Parton has long said that Dean – a retired paver four years her senior – has only ever seen her perform live once.

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In a new interview with Bunnie Xo‘s Dumb Blonde podcast (itself a song title from Parton’s 1967 album Hello, I’m Dolly), the musical icon has offered up some of the secrets to their long-lasting relationship.

“He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny,” Parton explained. “Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other [and] we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”

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“Anytime [there’s] too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far,” Parton continued, touching on their shared sense of humor. “We never fought back and forth. And I’m glad now that we never did, because once you start that, that becomes a lifetime thing.

“I’ve seen it with so many people, and I thought, ‘I ain’t ever starting that.’ I couldn’t bear to think that he’d say something I couldn’t take… because I’m a very sensitive person toward other people and myself.”

Parton’s comments are consistent with her previous offerings on the key to her long-lasting marriage, telling ET Canada in 2022 why she feels the pair have worked so long for close to 60 years.

“I like it when people say, ‘How did it last so long?’ I say, ‘I stay going,’” she explained. “You know, there’s a lot to be said about that. So we’re not in each other’s face all the time. He’s not in the business, so we have different interests, but yet we have the things we love to do together. So it was meant to be, I think. He was the one I was supposed to have and vice versa.”