How did Dolly Parton and Carl Dean meet? The singer’s husband of nearly 60 years dies at 82

Singer Dolly Parton’s husband Carl Thomas Dean died on March 3, 2025, at 82. A statement was posted on the singer’s Instagram mentioning that Dean would be laid to rest at a private ceremony with few people present. The cause of Carl Dean’s death is unknown. Sharing Parton’s words, the statement read:

“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.”

Parton got hitched to Carl Dean on May 30, 1966. Her official website noted that only a few people, including Parton’s mother, attended the wedding.

The duo ran into each other in Nashville two years before they got hitched. Their first meeting was unique as they met at a laundry service. They met the same day she moved into the city. At that time, she was 18, and Carl Dean was 21. Dolly Parton described their first meeting as:

“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.”

According to a People magazine exclusive, Carl Dean was a tall Nashville native who owned an asphalt paving business. During their decade-long marriage, he kept his distance from Dolly’s career and never attended any of her performances.

Describing him as reserved, Dolly Parton said she preferred to keep it separate from her public life. Whenever she felt lonely, she would call Carl to visit for a few days. The couple resided in a large 23-room home on a 200-acre property outside Nashville.

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Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were complete opposites

In another interview with People magazine in 2015, Parton reflected on her relationship with Carl Dean mentioning that they were opposites. When asked about the secret to their marriage, Parton said:

“They say that opposites attract, and it’s true. We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun. I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me.”

Dolly Parton described her husband as a kind, confident man with a sharp, quirky sense of humor. When asked how they spend their time together, she shared that they enjoy taking trips in their RV and keeping things simple.

She loved reading, cooking, and spending quality time with him, often dressing in her cozy "baby clothes" to relax. About their RV adventures, Dolly Parton said:

“He loves to go on vacation or on little trips, but he doesn’t want to be gone a long time. He wants to be mostly around the house. He knows I’m just the opposite. I can’t go enough places. I can’t do enough things. He loves that. He’s independent. He doesn’t need me in his face, and it’s the same with me.”

Dolly Parton shared that she and Carl Dean had enough in common to make their relationship work. After attending an awards show in 1966, Dean realized the spotlight wasn’t for him. As she wrote in her 1994 autobiography, he told Parton he would always support her career but had no intention of attending similar events in the future.