Dolly Parton’s Husband Carl Dean, Who Inspired ‘Jolene,’ Dies at 82

Carl Dean, who was married to country music legend Dolly Parton for nearly 60 years, died Monday in Nashville at the age of 82.

Dean, who inspired Parton’s iconic hit “Jolene,” will be laid to rest in a private ceremony attended only by immediate family, according to a statement provided to the Associated Press (AP) by Parton’s publicist. No cause of death was announced.

Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Parton via email on Monday for comment.

The Context

Dean represented a rare constant in the whirlwind life of one of America’s most beloved entertainers. His intensely private nature created a deliberate separation between Parton’s public persona and her personal life, helping preserve a sense of normalcy despite her decades in the spotlight.

Their nearly 60-year marriage stands as one of the most enduring relationships in entertainment history.

What To Know

Parton and Dean met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat when she first moved to Nashville at age 18. They married two years later on May 30, 1966, in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. While Parton became a global superstar, Dean maintained a low profile, running his own asphalt-paving business in Nashville.

Their relationship inspired several of Parton’s songs, most notably “Jolene,” which she wrote after a flirtatious bank teller developed a crush on Dean. The couple’s privacy was so fiercely guarded that Parton once joked to the AP in 1984, “A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me.”

Dean is survived by Parton and his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie.

What People Are Saying

Parton said 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.”

Parton on meeting Dean, from a previous interview with the AP: “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.”

Parton on Dean’s influence, from a 2023 interview: “He’s a big rock and roller,” she said, explaining how Dean helped inspire her 2023 Rockstar album, which included covers of his favorites like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”

What Happens Next

The family has requested privacy as they grieve, with Dean’s funeral planned as an intimate family-only ceremony.

The music world will likely pay tribute to Dean as the man who stood steadfastly behind one of country music’s greatest treasures while maintaining his own identity away from the spotlight.