Carl Thomas Dean will always be in love with Dolly Parton: details about his life, death, and health
4 march 2025 в 23:13
Carl Thomas Dean will always be Dolly Parton’s love. The country music singer’s husband passed away in March 2025. Although fans knew little about him, Dolly occasionally spoke about her husband publicly and in various interviews. He was even partially the inspiration behind her timeless hit «Jolene». In light of the news of Carl’s death, fans mourn the loss of Dolly along with her and are curious about his reported diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
Read on to learn more about Carl’s life, death, and health.
Carl, who was a businessman, passed away at the age of 82 in March 2025. He and Dolly met when he was 21 and she was 18, in 1964 at a laundromat in Nashville. The «9 to 5» artist knew that Carl was the one she had been looking for since their meeting, as Dolly noted that she felt «surprise and delight when he talked to me, looked me in the face (which was a rarity for me)», - she wrote on her website. «He seemed genuinely interested in who I was and what I was about».
The cause of Carl’s death remains unclear. In a statement posted on Instagram by Dolly, no details about Carl’s death were disclosed, and his family requested privacy from the public eye.
As several sources, including TMZ, reported that Carl was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, fans speculated about his condition. Although neither he nor Dolly ever publicly confirmed the diagnosis, the Grammy award winner spoke with Pollstar in 2022 about her decision to stop touring. At the time, Dolly noted that she and her husband were «getting older».
«I don’t think I’ll ever tour again, but I know I’ll do special shows here and there, from time to time», - she said, adding, «Maybe do a long weekend show or just a few shows at a festival. But I have no intention of going back on a full tour. I’ve done it all my life, and it takes so much time and energy. I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband. We’re getting older now, and I don’t want to be gone for four or five weeks in a row. Something could happen».
Without specifying what could happen, Dolly explained that she «wouldn't feel right if I left and someone needed me».
«Or I would feel bad if I had to leave the tour if someone got sick at home and needed me, and then I had to leave the fans», - she added, the founder of the Imagination Library
Read on to learn more about Carl’s life, death, and health.
Carl, who was a businessman, passed away at the age of 82 in March 2025. He and Dolly met when he was 21 and she was 18, in 1964 at a laundromat in Nashville. The «9 to 5» artist knew that Carl was the one she had been looking for since their meeting, as Dolly noted that she felt «surprise and delight when he talked to me, looked me in the face (which was a rarity for me)», - she wrote on her website. «He seemed genuinely interested in who I was and what I was about».
The cause of Carl’s death remains unclear. In a statement posted on Instagram by Dolly, no details about Carl’s death were disclosed, and his family requested privacy from the public eye.
As several sources, including TMZ, reported that Carl was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, fans speculated about his condition. Although neither he nor Dolly ever publicly confirmed the diagnosis, the Grammy award winner spoke with Pollstar in 2022 about her decision to stop touring. At the time, Dolly noted that she and her husband were «getting older».
«I don’t think I’ll ever tour again, but I know I’ll do special shows here and there, from time to time», - she said, adding, «Maybe do a long weekend show or just a few shows at a festival. But I have no intention of going back on a full tour. I’ve done it all my life, and it takes so much time and energy. I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband. We’re getting older now, and I don’t want to be gone for four or five weeks in a row. Something could happen».
Without specifying what could happen, Dolly explained that she «wouldn't feel right if I left and someone needed me».
«Or I would feel bad if I had to leave the tour if someone got sick at home and needed me, and then I had to leave the fans», - she added, the founder of the Imagination Library
© Artemenko Olga
