Dolly Parton has opened up about the death of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away at 82. After being together for nearly 60 years, this loss is huge for her.
Carl passed away on March 3 in Nashville, Tennessee, just a few years after they renewed their vows.
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Dolly, who’s been by his side all this time, shared a sweet message about their life together and asked for privacy for their family while they go through this tough time.
Dolly Parton shares a statement after Carl Dean’s death
Dolly, who’s 79, said: “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.”
Their family has asked for privacy during this tough time.
Carl Dean wanted to stay out of the spotlight
On the Dumb Blonde podcast last year, Dolly shared a funny moment. She said Carl told her, “Look, now I want you to do everything you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going,” and he stuck to that!
He was never interested in fame
Dolly wasn’t shocked by Carl’s refusal to be in the spotlight, though. He never really cared about fame.
“He loves music, but he’s not the least bit interested in being in it,” she said. “And he told me that right up front.”
Their marriage lasted through the years
Their marriage lasted through so much, and they even renewed their vows in 2016. Dolly has said they were totally different in a lot of ways but they just made it work.
“He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny… we have a lot of fun,” she said.
They kept things lighthearted and avoided conflict
Dolly talked about how they never let things get too heavy between them:
“Anytime [there is] too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far. We never fought back and forth.”
The couple first met in 1964
Dolly and Carl met way back in 1964 outside a laundromat in Nashville. She was 18, Carl was 21.
Apparently, Carl drove by in his pickup truck and just hollered at her. She even told The New York Times this story back in 1976.
Carl supported Dolly from behind the scenes
Even as Dolly became famous, Carl kept doing his thing with his road-paving business, always supporting her from behind the scenes and staying out of the public eye.
They kept the spark alive in their marriage
Even after all these years, Dolly always made sure to keep things fresh. In 2022, she admitted she still dresses up for Carl when they’re at home.
“Every day, I put on some makeup and fix my hair because I think, ‘Well, the whole world, I’m out here and everybody else sees me all dressed up, and I’m not going to just kind of go home and just flop on him,’” she said in an interview with E! News.
