Beloved Husband of Dolly Parton, Carl Dean, Passes Away at 82

Carl Dean, the beloved husband of legendary singer Dolly Parton and the inspiration behind her timeless classic “Jolene,” passed away on Monday at the age of 82.

According to a release shared by Parton’s publicist with The Associated Press, Dean passed away in Nashville, Tennessee. His funeral will be a private ceremony attended only by immediate family.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t adequately express the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” Parton expressed in her statement.

The family has requested privacy during this time. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Parton first met Dean at the Wishy Washy Laundromat just as she arrived in Nashville at 18.

“I was surprised and delighted when, while talking to me, he actually looked at my face — something rare for me,” Parton recalled of their meeting. “He seemed genuinely interested in learning who I was and what I was about.”

Two years later, they tied the knot on Memorial Day — May 30, 1966 — in an intimate ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia.

Dean was a businessman in Nashville where he ran his own asphalt-paving company. His parents, Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean, raised three children. Parton warmly referred to his mother as “Mama Dean.”

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

His influence lived on through Parton’s hit, “Jolene.” She revealed to NPR in 2008 that the song was inspired by a flirtatious bank teller who seemed to take a fancy to Dean.