For nearly six decades, Dolly Parton and Carl Dean have shared one of the most enduring and private love stories in country music history. While Dolly is known for her glittering rhinestones, powerhouse vocals, and boundless charisma, Carl has remained the complete opposite—quiet, reserved, and happy to stay out of the limelight. But the way they met? That’s the kind of serendipitous, country-song-worthy moment that only Dolly herself could live out.

One of country music’s most mysterious figures has tragically passed away today… the great Carl Thomas Dean, who is probably better known by most as Dolly Parton’s longtime husband.

The sad news was released via Dolly’s social media with the following statement:

“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie. 

‘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.’

The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time.” 

One of country music’s longest and most iconic love stories, the country music couple was married for nearly 59 years before he passed away,. Although unlike most country music power couples… he was rarely ever seen in public. In fact, many country music stars, such as Reba McEntire, have never even met him. Carl has managed to successfully stay out of the spotlight for most of Dolly’s career, and even though she’s become a global superstar and icon, they managed to keep their marriage incredibly strong to the very end.

So how did they actually meet?

The Nashville Laundromat

Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean got married soon after she moved to Nashville… with a suitcase full of dirty clothes she says. When she got there, she was going to live with her late uncle, Bill Owens, until she had enough time to save some money and find a place of her own. But the two actually first met outside of the Wishy Washy laundromat in Music City, where Dolly revealed that she initially turned him down.

According to Showbiz, Carl pulled his Chevy into the laundromat parking lot while Dolly was washing her clothes.

“I got me a big RC Cola, and while my clothes were washing, I just went out walkin’ down the sidewalk to see Nashville. I was just walkin’ down the street and this boy came by in this white ’59 or ’60 Chevrolet. He went down first and he flirted and, of course, being fresh from the country, well, up where I come from everybody was friendly to everybody because everybody was friends, and I didn’t know that you just couldn’t do that anywhere.

I guess kind of in the back of my mind I was maybe flirtin’ a little, too, but mainly I was just bein’ friendly because I’d always been the kind of person who would speak back and smile.”

Carl was persistent, circling back around to her in his car a second time, trying to make conversation by telling her she would get sunburned walking around outside. Finally, he pulled over and walked up to ask her where she was from:

“I told him I was from Knoxville because I didn’t figure he’d know where Sevierville was. He still kids me about saying I was from Knoxville. He says I said it kind of highfalutin’ or somethin’, but I didn’t.”

Carl himself recalled that fateful day during a rare 2016 press interview, the only one he’s ever done, and only because they were trying to raise money for her Imagination Library foundation. A quick Q&A of fan submitted questions asked for his initial reaction to seeing Dolly for the first time, and he had a really sweet answer:

“My first thought was I’m gonna marry that girl. My second thought was, Lord she’s good lookin’. And that was the day my life began.”

That was the day my life began… what a line.

Dolly Says No

After that, he asked her out, but she politely declined, but she had another idea. She told him she was supposed to be babysitting for her Uncle the next day and he could come over if he wanted. Not exactly the most romantic first date in the world, but I guess if I guy is willing to come babysit with you before you even know his middle name, you’re on the right track:

“He came over and we sat out in the yard and talked. But I still wouldn’t go on a date with him for several days.”

Eventually, when they finally went on an actual first date, he made a pretty bold move:

“The first place he took me the first night we went out was to his parents’ house, and that made me feel a lot better about him.”

Again, another good sign if he’s taking you to meet his parents on the first date… then again, this was 60 years ago… most women would probably run for the hills if he introduced you to mama on the first date.

Married For Almost 60 Years

Carl actually owned an asphalt-laying company for many years, and in a lot of ways, they lived pretty separate lives as she was out on the road for much of her career touring the world. She’s mentioned before that the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” has sort of been true for them. But Dolly has said in the past that the real key to their marriage is that they “both have a warped sense of humor,” which has kept things light and fun even when they probably shouldn’t have been:

“We both have a warped sense of humor. And I think humor, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that. Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humor, if you say something you can’t take back you usually have some crazy way of getting out of it.”

And it also sounds like Dolly isn’t afraid to keep Carl in line (to the surprise of no one), and she recalled having to put him in his place many years ago when a certain lady named Jolene came into the picture…

“And I said, ‘Look, you better be talkin’ to one of those boys, or it’s gonna be your a** and your fault! So there’s your asphalt.’”

Gotta love that classic Dolly sense of humor.

But in a recent interview with E! News, Dolly shared about their long lasting love and how Carl fell in love with her long before she became the superstar we all know and love today.

“To have someone there in your corner, and you know they love you for just who you are and not what you do, what other people think you are. And they know you for who you are.

There’s a great comfort in that, knowing that someone loves you exactly for who you are, because he feel in love with me before I became a star. And somebody said, oh, how do you feel about being married to a star? he said, ‘I didn’t know I was.

To him, I’m his star, but he doesn’t relate to any of that. He doesn’t care about that… well, he’s proud of me, I don’t mean that, but that’s not how he sees me, the way the public sees me.”

To think of everything they’ve been through together, how long it has been, today’s news just breaks your heart for Dolly. Prayer up for Dolly and the family, and RIP to the great Carl Dean.