Country singer Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, died Monday.
He was 82.
Parton announced Dean’s death on social media.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” she wrote. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
Parton added Dean will be “laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending.”
“He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie,” the singer continued.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 4, 2025
The two met at a laundromat — she was 18; he was 20, Fox News reported.
While Dean was hardly ever seen in public, Parton said he always supported her.
“He’s always supporting me as long as I don’t try to drag him in on it,” Parton said in 2019.
“He’s always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he’s at home. I don’t think they’re probably showing much of this on TV, and if they do, he might see it,” she added. “But, anyway, he’d never come dragging around. I’d rather bring somebody else with me, you know? He’s never jealous of that either.”
The “9 to 5” singer also spoke about the love they shared.
“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,” she said to Entertainment Tonight in 2023. “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.”
