Country legend Dolly Parton is mourning the loss of her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, after a 60-year love story.
The singer broke her silence after his death, reflecting on the “many wonderful years” they spent by each other’s side.
On March 3, Parton confirmed her longtime partner’s death at the age of 82 in Nashville with a social media post.
Dolly Parton announced the death of her longtime husband Carl Thomas Dean
Image credits: Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal
Dean, survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie, will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with loved ones.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” the music icon said in a statement on social media.
“Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” she added. “Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” the Jolene singer wrote on social media
Image credits: dollyparton
Despite being married to America’s sweetheart, Dean largely stayed out of the spotlight since they fell in love in the 1960s. He focused on his asphalt-paving business in Nashville, while his wife went on to become one of the most famous singers of all time.
Parton was 18 when she moved to Nashville to fulfill her music dreams in 1964. She met Dean outside a laundromat on her very first day in the new city.
Dean was sure Parton would be his wife on the day he met her
Image credits: dollyparton
Dean described the encounter as “the day my life began.”
“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,’” he said, as quoted by ET.
Two years later, his prediction came true.
They exchanged wedding vows on May 30, 1966, in Ringgold, Georgia, in the presence of only her mother, the pastor, and his wife.
Image credits: Harry Langdon/Getty Images
Parton, who once described her husband as a “shy and quiet” man, said she may never marry again if he passed away before her.
“Carl is the one man in my life,” she told People in 1981. “I would love to grow old with him. If he should die first, I may never marry again. My love is that deep.”
After five decades of love and romance, the couple celebrated their bond by renewing their vows in a private Nashville ceremony on their 50th wedding anniversary.
The couple renewed their vows on their 50th wedding anniversary
Image credits: Dollyparton.com
She recalled wearing the “most beautiful gown” and dressing up her husband “like a handsome dude of Hollywood” for the intimate affair.
It was a “simple little ceremony at our chapel at our place,” she told Rolling Stone in 2016.
“If I had it to do all over, I’d do it all over again, and we did,” she added. “I’m dragging him kicking and screaming into the next 50 years. Wish us luck.”
If Dean passes away first, “I may never marry again,” the country music icon said
Image credits: dollyparton
Fans shared in the grief on social media, saying: “We are all here for you.”
“My heart is with you,” a fan commented, while another wrote, “Oh Dolly, my heart goes out to you and yours, my deepest sympathies.”
“This woman gives so much and although in the shadows im sure her husband did too. God Bless his soul and lord look over her,” another wrote.
“WHAT a blessing they have been to each other,” one said. “They leave a legacy of love and devotion. Bless you all!”
Another wrote, “I can’t imagine being married to someone for 60 years and then losing them. Gosh how hard that must be.”
Fans called the pair a “beautiful couple with a solid love”
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