Before her death at 80, which her nephew announced on August 25, 2026, Dolly Parton shared over 60 years with her husband, Carl Dean, before he himself passed away on March 3, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The late country music star's late husband was 82 when he died, and had been married to the "Jolene" singer for almost 59 years, having met her when she was just 18 years old.
While in her decades in the music business, Dolly always enjoyed the limelight, Carl was famously rarely seen in public with her, and preferred to live a quieter life outside the spotlight.
© WireImageThe couple married in 1966 before Dolly found fame and they lived together in the same jaw-dropping home in Brentwood, Nashville, that they purchased in 1999 for $400,000.
Carl inspired some of Dolly's biggest hits, including "Jolene and "Forever Love," during their "many wonderful years together".
Carl Dean's death
© InstagramDolly broke the news of Carl's passing via an Instagram announcement on March 3, 2025, writing: "Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie."
The statement continued: "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 asks for privacy during this difficult time."
Dolly and Carl Dean's love story
Dolly and Carl met outside their local laundromat in Nashville on the first day the singer moved to the famous music city in 1964. Dolly was 18 while Carl was 21 at the time. Two years later, in 1966, shortly before Dolly released her first album, they married in Ringgold, Georgia, with only her mother there as a witness.
© Photo: Getty ImagesIn the years that followed, Dolly became country music's most iconic star, while Carl stayed out of the spotlight, focusing on running his asphalt business. He was rarely seen in public with his wife, and Dolly previously shared he only ever saw her perform publicly a handful of times.
"No, he doesn't like to do that," Dolly told Ellen DeGeneres during an interview. "He gets nervous seeing me perform. It's almost like seeing your kid in a recital. He's afraid I'll mess up. Actually, he has seen me a time or two and it did relax him a little. He saw that I do mess up and it's OK because people are not gonna punish me for it."
Their nearly 60-year marriage
© Getty ImagesDolly and Carl wed on 30 May 1966. He passed away months before their 59th wedding anniversary.
In 2016, the pair marked their 50th wedding anniversary in a very special way: they decided to get married for a second time.
"We're going to get married again!" Dolly gushed to People ahead of their vow renewal. "I'll have a beautiful wedding dress, 'cause I didn't have a big long wedding dress when we got married, and we've got a suit for him, so we're going to dress up and take a bunch of pictures."
The couple never had children
© Dolly PartonWhile Dolly was one of 12 children, she and her husband Carl never had children themselves, though Dolly is a devoted godmother to popstar Miley Cyrus.
In 2014, Billboard asked the country star if she regretted never starting a family to which Dolly said she did at first but doesn't anymore.
© REX/Shutterstock"Early on, when my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids. We weren't doing anything to stop it. In fact, we thought maybe we would. We even had names if we did, but it didn't turn out that way.
"Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, 'Aren't you glad we didn't have kids? Now we don't have kids to worry about.'"
