Dolly Parton suffered a devastating loss in early March 2025 when her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died at 82. Through the years, the country star’s spouse kept out of the spotlight—in fact, his last public appearance was more than five years before his death.
On Monday, March 3, Parton, 79, announced Dean’s death via Instagram.
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“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away on March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82,” the update featuring white text on a black background read. “He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.”
Parton added, “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.”
A cause of death for Dean was not shared at the time.
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Before his death, Dean’s last public appearance during which he was photographed happened in December 2019, per the Daily Mail. He visited a post office with an assistant near his and Parton’s Brentwood, Tenn., estate. At the time, Dean hadn’t been photographed in public in almost 40 years.
See the photo here.
In a December 2024 episode of Bunnie XO‘s Dumb Blonde podcast, Parton spoke about Dean’s private nature.
“He was a homebody, and that worked well for us…I don’t know if anybody out there that goes by astrology or pays attention to that. But he’s Cancer and I’m Capricorn, and those are compatible signs,” the “Working 9 to 5” singer explained. “He loved to go places, if we were gonna drive cross-country or if we had planned a thing. But, boy, he never could wait to get home.”
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Parton did convince her husband to accompany her to a major event, the 1966 BMI Awards banquet.
“After the dinner, we walked back out, and they brought us our car … and we got in it and headed for home,” she reportedly told a crowd at a Marty Stuart Jam. “Carl turned to me and said, ‘Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I’m happy for you, but don’t you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!'”
However, every once in a while Parton would share throwback photos of herself and Dean on social media.
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Parton and Dean married on May 30, 1966; they did not have children.
Next: Dolly Parton Reveals Secret to Her and Husband Carl Dean’s Nearly 60-Year Marriage
