Dolly Parton, the famous country singer, is heartbroken after her husband, Carl Dean, passed away this week at 82. Carl liked to stay out of the spotlight, even though Dolly is known all over the world. They kept their love private, but now people are talking about their special relationship again.
Dolly, who is 79, sometimes shared little stories about Carl. Once, people thought they had an “open” relationship, meaning they could be with other people. But Dolly explained it wasn’t like that. She said, “We flirt with others, but that’s it. Carl knows I flirt, and he does too. We’d never really do anything else because we love each other too much.” She even joked that they’d be super mad if the other one tried anything more!
Carl thought it was funny when magazines said Dolly was with big stars like Sylvester Stallone or Burt Reynolds. He’d tease her, saying things like, “I see you’re having Burt’s baby again!” Dolly said Carl was happy staying home on their farm while she went to fancy events. He didn’t like crowds or cameras.
On Monday, Carl passed away in Nashville, where they lived. Dolly posted a sad message on Instagram, saying, “We had so many wonderful years together. I can’t even describe how much we loved each other after 60 years. Thank you for your kind words.” Carl’s brother and sister, Sandra and Donnie, are still here, and he’ll be buried quietly with just family around.
Dolly and Carl got married way back in 1966. She once told a funny story about how Carl went to a big music award show with her in 1967 but hated it. Afterward, he said, “I’m happy for you, but don’t ask me to go to another one of those things!” So, he stayed home after that, and Dolly was okay with it because he didn’t like being famous.
Even though Carl stayed out of sight, he helped Dolly make one of her biggest songs, “Jolene,” in 1973. She wrote it because a pretty bank lady kept flirting with Carl. Dolly laughed about it, saying, “He liked the attention, but I told him to stop going to the bank so much!” She turned that jealous feeling into a song that won awards and made her lots of money. The name “Jolene” came from a cute little girl she met at a concert who asked for an autograph.
Dolly and Carl met in 1964 at a laundromat in Nashville when she was only 18. She’d never been to one before, and Carl drove by, stopped, and started talking to her. Two years later, they got married. They stayed happy for 60 years, even renewing their wedding promises in 2016 at home. Dolly said their secret was laughing a lot together. She loved how funny and quiet Carl was, while she was loud and silly. That’s what made them such a great team.
