Carl Dean – Dolly Parton’s husband and inspiration for “Jolene” has died

Dolly Parton remembers her husband

Dolly Parton has expressed her gratitude for the years she shared with her beloved husband.

Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words cannot do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy – she wrote in an official statement.

The family asked that privacy be respected during this difficult time. The cause of Dean’s death has not been revealed.

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Dolly Parton and Carl Dean: The love that started outside the laundromat

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean’s love story dates back to the day the then 18-year-old artist arrived in Nashville. Their first meeting took place in front of Wishy Washy Laundromat. Parton recalled that she was surprised by the attention Dean gave her.

I was surprised and delighted that he looked me in the face when talking to me (a rarity for me). He seemed genuinely interested in who I was and what I was doing – she described a memorable encounter.

Almost six decades together

Two years after their first meeting, on 30 May 1966, Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were married in an intimate ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. Although Dean remained outside the world of show business, he supported his wife in her music career. He was a businessman and ran an asphalt paving company in Nashville. His parents, Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar Henry Dean, had three children. Parton held his mother in high esteem and referred to her as “Mama Dean”. Carl Dean will always be remembered by Dolly Parton fans as the man who not only shared life with the legendary artist, but also inspired her to create one of the most recognisable songs in country music history – “Jolene”.