'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUG/8QAIhAAAgECBQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQFBkFhcQcTITEy/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/xAAYEQADAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMCBP/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8At9HsQssKilaGG4USqpZGcMoIHsc671q5832/fk8S/R035pSp+nZRMUzDDP/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As a guest on Khloe Kardashian’s Khloe in Wonderland podcast on July 10, 2025, Dolly Parton talked about how she was trying to navigate life alone after losing her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean. The country music legend revealed that she was stepping away from music, stating that she couldn’t bear to get emotional:
“I can’t do it right now. Cause I got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of getting emotional right now.”
The Islands in the Stream hitmaker added that she was open to writing music if the inspiration came to her, but she was putting her creative slide on hold:
“I’ll write something else, though, if it comes. I’m just putting that all on hold,”
Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean’s relationship timeline explored
On her website, the country singer talked about meeting her husband in 1964 at a Laundromat when she was just 18 years old. Dolly wrote that she was struck by how interested he was in getting to know her:
"I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about."
At the age of 20, Dolly Parton and Carl Dean tied the knot in a quiet affair with only the pastor, his wife and Dolly’s mother in attendance. Dolly shared with NPR in 2008, the story behind her infamous Jolene song, stating that it was based on a red-headed woman who was flirting with her husband and how she put a stop to it.
The couple never had children. Parton revealed to PEOPLE in 2014 that she wasn’t meant to have kids because she was a mother to everyone else’s.
In an interview with PEOPLE in 2015, the iconic singer revealed the secret to her long-lasting marriage—her and her husband’s contrasting personalities:
"They say that opposites attract, and it's true."
After 50 years of being together, Dolly Parton and Carl Dean renewed their vows at their Nashville home in 2016. Close family and friends attended the Private affair, and the couple went on an RV honeymoon.
In November 2022, she discussed her Christmas traditions with her husband. The country singer stated that she made red and green pancakes for her husband every Christmas morning before exchanging gifts.
In December 2024, Dolly Parton appeared on the Dumb Blonde podcast, stating that humour helped her marriage last as long as it did. She said that her husband and she used jokes to diffuse tension.
On March 3, 2025, the crooner of " The Coat of Many Colours " announced that Carl Thomas Dean had passed away in an Instagram post stating:
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together," Parton wrote on Instagram. "Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."
Trending
Dolly Parton’s Las Vegas residency is scheduled to take place from December 4 to 13, 2025.
Reply
