Dolly Parton is speaking out about the loss of her husband, Carl Dean. The 79-year-old shared a heartfelt post on social media, three days after Dean passed away.
“This is a love note to family, friends and fans,” Parton writes. “Thank you for all the messages, cards and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband, Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know that it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 6, 2025
This is the first time Parton has spoken about Dean’s death since announcing his passing. Parton shared a brief message following the statement revealing that Dean had passed away at the age of 82
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton said at the time. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
Parton and Dean wed on May 10, 1966, after meeting outside of a laundromat.
“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton recalled (via BBC). “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
The East Tennessee native had just moved to Nashville when she met Dean, and they quickly fell in love. At the time, Parton’s career was also just beginning to take off, which is why they had to forego a big wedding, eloping in a neighboring state instead.
“It was just my mother and Carl and me,” Parton told CMT. “We went across the state line to Ringgold, Georgia. My mother made me a little white dress and a little bouquet and a little Bible. But I said, ‘I can’t get married in a courthouse because I’ll never feel married.’ So we found a little Baptist church in town, and went up to Pastor Don Duvall and said, ‘Would you marry us?’ We got pictures on the steps right outside the church.”
The couple would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary later this year, but even some of Parton’s closest friends never met Dean, since he preferred to stay out of the spotlight. Still, he was Parton’s biggest cheerleader, albeit from behind the scenes.
“I always joke and laugh when people ask me what’s the key to my long marriage and lasting love. I always say ‘Stay gone!’ and there’s a lot of truth to that,” Parton says. “I travel a lot, but we really enjoy each other when we’re together and the little things we do.”
Funersal services for Dean will be private.