Carl Dean, the longtime husband of Dolly Parton, is dead at 82 years old. He died on March 3 in Nashville and a cause of death has not been revealed.
Parton announced the news on social media, saying in a statement:
“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.”
Per Parton’s website, Parton and Dean met in 1964, outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat in Nashville, when Parton was 18 and Dean was 21. Reflecting on that, Parton says, “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
She and Dean got married on May 30, 1966 (Memorial Day) in a small ceremony attended by only Parton’s mother Avie Lee Parton, the preacher, and his wife. At that point, Parton had released a handful of singles and was a year away from the release of her 1967 debut album Hello, I’m Dolly.
Since then, Dean rarely made public appearances alongside Parton. He did, however, inspire one of Parton’s biggest songs, 1973’s “Jolene”: In a 2008 interview, she explained how the song’s story is based on a bank teller who took an interest in Dean, saying:
“She got this terrible crush on my husband, and he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.’ So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”
In a 2015 interview with People, Parton discussed their marriage, saying:
“They say that opposites attract, and it’s true. We’re completely opposite, but that’s what makes it fun. I never know what he’s gonna say or do. He’s always surprising me. My husband is a good man, first of all. He’s a deep person, but he has a great and warped sense of humor. He makes me laugh and entertains me. He’s very secure within himself.”
Ultimately, Parton and Dean were married for nearly 60 years before his death.