Dolly Parton lost the love of her life in her late husband Carl Thomas Dean
4 march 2025 в 08:28
Dolly Parton found the love of her life in her late husband Carl Thomas Dean. They fell in love and got married in 1966. And although the singer of the hit «Jolene» is one of the most famous names in music, Carl always tried to avoid the spotlight. Nevertheless, they enjoyed a loving relationship for decades until his death in March 2025. The news shocked fans, as many did not know much about Carl, his marriage to Dolly, or whether they had children together.
As seen from Dolly’s announcement on Instagram, she said: «Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words cannot express the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and condolences». The statement also mentioned that Carl passed away in Nashville, and the cause of death was not specified.
Learn more about Dolly and Carl’s life together, their marriage, and family below.
Dolly met Carl when she moved to Nashville at just 18 years old at the Wishy Washy Laundromat, according to the Associated Press. The country music superstar recalled feeling «surprised and delighted when he talked to me, looked me in the face (which was a rarity for me). He seemed genuinely interested in who I was and what I was about».
Carl was a businessman and owned an asphalt paving company in Nashville. Eventually, he retired from his work, living a quiet life with Dolly.
Carl passed away at the age of 82, and Dolly is currently 79 years old.
No, Dolly does not have children from her late husband Carl. The singer of «9 to 5» openly talked about not having children in many interviews throughout her career. In an interview with Saga Exceptional in 2023, Dolly recalled that when they fell in love, they thought they would have children.
«When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but that wasn’t the main thing for me», - she explained. «I had a career, my music, and I traveled a lot. If I had kids, I would have stayed home with them, I’m sure, and worried about them to death. With everything going on, I wouldn’t want to have a child right now».
During a previous interview with Billboard, Dolly explained why she doesn’t regret not having children with Carl.
«I used to think I should regret it», - Dolly noted in a 2014 interview. «In the beginning, when my husband and I were dating and then got married, we just assumed we would have kids. We didn’t do anything to prevent it. In fact, we even thought maybe we would have kids. We even had names if we did, but it just didn’t turn out that way. Now I say, 'God didn’t want me to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine.' I’m very close to my family — five of my younger brothers and sisters lived with me and Carl for many years — and we’re very close to our nieces and nephews. Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, 'Aren't we glad we don’t have kids? Now we don’t have kids to worry about.'»
Behind the iconic lyrics of the song «Jolene» is a story, but it’s not as dramatic as fans might think. During an interview with NPR in 2008, Dolly revealed that she was inspired to write the song about a bank teller who seemed to be in love with Carl.
«She was madly in love with my husband», - Dolly claimed. «And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was like a joke between us — when I’d say, 'Damn, you’re spending so much time at the bank. I don’t believe we have that much money.' So it’s really an innocent song, but it sounds awful»
As seen from Dolly’s announcement on Instagram, she said: «Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words cannot express the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and condolences». The statement also mentioned that Carl passed away in Nashville, and the cause of death was not specified.
Learn more about Dolly and Carl’s life together, their marriage, and family below.
Dolly met Carl when she moved to Nashville at just 18 years old at the Wishy Washy Laundromat, according to the Associated Press. The country music superstar recalled feeling «surprised and delighted when he talked to me, looked me in the face (which was a rarity for me). He seemed genuinely interested in who I was and what I was about».
Carl was a businessman and owned an asphalt paving company in Nashville. Eventually, he retired from his work, living a quiet life with Dolly.
Carl passed away at the age of 82, and Dolly is currently 79 years old.
No, Dolly does not have children from her late husband Carl. The singer of «9 to 5» openly talked about not having children in many interviews throughout her career. In an interview with Saga Exceptional in 2023, Dolly recalled that when they fell in love, they thought they would have children.
«When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but that wasn’t the main thing for me», - she explained. «I had a career, my music, and I traveled a lot. If I had kids, I would have stayed home with them, I’m sure, and worried about them to death. With everything going on, I wouldn’t want to have a child right now».
During a previous interview with Billboard, Dolly explained why she doesn’t regret not having children with Carl.
«I used to think I should regret it», - Dolly noted in a 2014 interview. «In the beginning, when my husband and I were dating and then got married, we just assumed we would have kids. We didn’t do anything to prevent it. In fact, we even thought maybe we would have kids. We even had names if we did, but it just didn’t turn out that way. Now I say, 'God didn’t want me to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine.' I’m very close to my family — five of my younger brothers and sisters lived with me and Carl for many years — and we’re very close to our nieces and nephews. Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, 'Aren't we glad we don’t have kids? Now we don’t have kids to worry about.'»
Behind the iconic lyrics of the song «Jolene» is a story, but it’s not as dramatic as fans might think. During an interview with NPR in 2008, Dolly revealed that she was inspired to write the song about a bank teller who seemed to be in love with Carl.
«She was madly in love with my husband», - Dolly claimed. «And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was like a joke between us — when I’d say, 'Damn, you’re spending so much time at the bank. I don’t believe we have that much money.' So it’s really an innocent song, but it sounds awful»
© Smirnova Olga
