Dolly Parton thanked her fans for showing her love during a difficult time in her life.
The country music legend lost her husband of 60 years, Carl Dean, on Monday. He was 82.
“This is a love note to family, friends, and fans,” Parton shared on Instagram. “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.”
DOLLY PARTON’S HUSBAND, CARL DEAN, DEAD AT 82
Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, died Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 82. (Dolly Parton/Instagram)
“I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know 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’S LATE HUSBAND CARL DEAN INSPIRED ONE OF HER GREATEST HITS
Dean died on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, Parton shared on social media earlier this week. His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
“I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know 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
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“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” the “9 to 5” singer wrote on Instagram. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
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She added that Dean would be “laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.”
Parton first met Dean at a laundromat when she was 18, and he was 21. They married in 1966.
Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean were married for 60 years. (Dolly Parton Instagram)
He was rarely seen by Parton’s side but always played a strong supporting role in his wife’s life and inspired Parton to write one of her most prolific songs, “Jolene.”
Parton begs a woman not to take her man in the “innocent” 1973 hit.
DOLLY PARTON REVEALS SECRET TO 56-YEAR MARRIAGE WITH HUSBAND CARL THOMAS DEAN: ‘IT WAS MEANT TO BE’
“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR in 2008. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kind of 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.’
Dolly Parton thanked friends, family and fans for their condolences after her husband’s death. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
“So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”
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The title of the song was inspired by a “beautiful little girl” Parton remembered seeing in the crowd while she was onstage one evening.
“She was probably 8 years old at the time,” Parton told NPR. “And she had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, and beautiful green eyes. And she was looking up at me, holding, you know, for an autograph. And I said, ‘Well, you’re just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.’ I said, ‘What is your name?’ And she said, ‘Jolene.’”
“And I said, well, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. I said, that is pretty, I said, that sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.”
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Tracy Wright is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to Tracy.Wright@fox.com.
