Dolly Parton is grieving the loss of her husband Carl Dean, her notoriously private partner who was nonetheless her greatest champion during their time together.
Carl passed away on March 3 at the age of 82, capping off their nearly 59 years of marriage and over six decades together.
Dolly's younger sister Stella Parton, 75, took to social media shortly after her announcement sharing a message on behalf of the family, alluding to the status of her sister and Carl's family.
"On behalf of my sister Dolly, our family and Carl's family we appreciate your prayers at this time," she simply shared in a poignant post on X.
The "Jolene" singer's team shared a statement announcing his passing, which read: "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."
© Getty ImagesThe statement also included some heartfelt words from Dolly herself, which 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," concluding with: "The family asks for privacy during this difficult time."
Dolly and Carl happened to meet by chance outside of a local laundromat in Nashville in 1964, the very day the former moved to the city to achieve her dreams of becoming a renowned country music singer.
Dolly was 18 at the time while Carl was 21. Two years later, in Ringgold, Georgia, the pair tied the knot with only Dolly's mother as a witness, shortly before she released her debut studio album, 1967's Hello, I'm Dolly, which was a top 15 hit on the country charts.
© InstagramDuring a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, the "Coat of Many Colors" singer shared some insight into her very private life with her husband, who actively eschews the limelight in favor of a quiet life on their farm.
She dubbed communication to be the secret to their long marriage. "I think I've talked pretty much about everything through the years with Carl, and we're different people. But we just work so well together."
© Dolly Parton"He's kind of a loner so he doesn't really like being with anybody but me, when I'm home — I mean, he's not one to kind of get out there and socialize that much," she added.
"He loves living on the farm, taking care of the property as he has for all these many years, and then, we just have a lot to talk about," she sweetly gushed, saying that she also enjoyed working as close to home as possible so as to spend more time with him.
"He loves music, but he's not in the music business at all, so we have different things to talk about, his world and my world, and we work really well together. We have a lot of love and respect for each other, and I think the key to all of it — we both have a crazy, warped sense of humor, so we have a lot of fun."
