Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, has died at the age of 82. The private ceremony will be attended by immediate family.
Parton shared a heartfelt message on social media, saying she spent many wonderful years with her husband and can’t express the love they shared in words. The cause of death was not announced due to the family’s request for respect and privacy.
The couple met outside a laundromat in Nashville at 18, where Dean showed genuine interest in getting to know Parton. They married two years later in a small ceremony in Georgia.
Dean was a businessman who owned an asphalt-paving company, but he kept his personal life private. He is survived by Parton and her two siblings. The couple’s relationship inspired Parton’s iconic song “Jolene,” which she wrote about a bank teller who took a liking to Dean.
In a 2008 interview with NPR, Parton explained that the song was not meant to be malicious but rather a lighthearted tale of Dean’s fascination with the bank teller. She also covered some of her husband’s favorite songs on her music albums, including Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/dolly-parton-husband-carl-dean-dies-2b17ba0e44bcb864a3800bc17afdedeb