Inside Dolly Parton’s marriage to Carl Dean following her passing at 80. Despite rumours, affairs, and a cheeky ‘arrest’ prank, the couple shared a bond built on enduring love
Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Thomas Dean had a controversial but lengthy relationship – here we take a deeper dive into their love story after her death age 80.
The star passed away on August 25 age 80 after a long health battle, a year later from her late husband who passed away on March 3, 2025. The 9 To 5 legend wed the asphalt business owner Carl in Ringgold, Georgia back in 1966. While the world knows her as Dolly Parton, she confirmed that ‘Dean’ is her official surname, and she puts her signature to contracts as Dolly Parton Dean.
The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in 2016. The country icon posted an official statement on Instagram, which read: “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.”
Dolly included her own touching tribute, saying: “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 cause of his death has not been disclosed, reports the Daily Star.
While the pair maintained their marriage away from the spotlight, Dolly previously opened up about their relationship on numerous occasions during her career.
Love story
Dolly relocated from Tennessee to Nashville immediately after finishing secondary school. She was aged 18 and doing her laundry at the neighbourhood laundrette when Dean pulled up in his lorry and stopped to warn Dolly she might get sunburnt in her skimpy outfit.
Carl confessed: “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.”
Reflecting on their wedding day, Dolly shared: “My mother made me a little white dress and a little bouquet. We found a little Baptist church in town, and went up to Pastor Don Duvall and said, ‘Would you marry us?’ We got pictures on the steps right outside the church.”
Open marriage
In her 2017 memoir ‘Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton’, the star revealed: “He’s not jealous and I’m not jealous of him.
“He knows I flirt. He flirts too. Yes, it’s an open relationship, but not sexually and I would kill him if I thought he was doing that. He would shoot me too. At the end of the day we love each other madly.”
She told the Daily Mail: “Men are my weakness. Short, fat, bald or skinny – I’ve had crushes on some very unusual men but Carl knows I’ll always come home and I’m not having sex with these people – I’m just flirting and having fun.”
‘Arrest’
In one playful incident, Carl decided to join Dolly on stage as one of her backing singers at the 1977 Kentucky State Fair. However, when she decided to play a prank on him in return, things escalated slightly.
She informed a nearby police officer that she didn’t recognise “that man in the red shirt”, pointing at her husband. The officer approached and detained him.
Fortunately, Dolly’s tour manager Don Warden intervened before he could be whisked off to the police station.
Emotional affair
While Dolly has consistently refuted allegations of infidelity, she did confess to having feelings for an unidentified man that crossed a line.
In her book, she wrote: “I was sitting upstairs in my bedroom one afternoon when I noticed in the nightstand drawer my gun that I keep for burglars. I looked at it a long time… Then, just as I picked it up, just to hold it and look at it for a moment, our little dog, Popeye, came running up the stairs.
“The tap-tap-tap of his paws jolted me back to reality, I suddenly froze. I put the gun down. Then I prayed. I kinda believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God. I don’t think I’d have done it, killed myself, but I can’t say for sure.”
Dolly has always emphasised the profound trust between them, stating: “At the end of the day we love each other madly.”
If you need emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans. org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
