Carl Dean, the longtime husband of country music legend Dolly Parton, has died at the age of 82. Parton, 79, announced his passing on Monday, sharing a heartfelt tribute to her late husband on Instagram.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton wrote. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
Dean, a private individual who largely stayed out of the spotlight despite his wife’s global fame, passed away in Nashville. His family will hold a private ceremony in his honor.
While Parton did not disclose the cause of death, Dean was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. He is survived by his siblings, Sandra and Donnie.
Dean and Parton first met outside a laundromat in Nashville when she was just 18 years old. Their relationship began with what they described as “love at first sight.”
“My first thought was, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,'” Dean once wrote on Parton’s official website. “My second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good lookin’.’ And that was the day my life began.”
The couple married on May 30, 1966, and remained devoted to one another for nearly 60 years. In 2016, they renewed their vows for their 50th wedding anniversary.
“If I had it to do all over, I’d do it all over again, and we did,” Parton told *Entertainment Tonight* at the time.
Though Dean avoided public life, he was the inspiration for some of Parton’s most beloved songs, including *I Will Always Love You* and *From Here to the Moon and Back*.
Born in Nashville on July 20, 1942, Dean ran a successful asphalt paving business in Tennessee. Despite being married to one of the most recognizable names in music, he remained fiercely private and rarely appeared in public with Parton.
The couple would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary in May.
