Who is Dolly Parton’s husband? The story of their 60-year marriage
4 march 2025 в 08:37
Dolly Parton has been an integral part of the music industry for almost 60 years after she achieved her first success in the 1960s. Her career has made her a country music icon, with numerous hits including «Jolene» and «9 to 5», and she continues to be an extremely influential singer to this day. For almost as long as she has been involved in music, she has been married to the late businessman Carl Thomas Dean. The couple married in 1966, and their marriage lasted until Carl’s death in March 2025.
Learn more about Dolly’s husband Carl Dean and what they said about their relationship.
Dolly and Carl do not have children, but with almost 60 years of marriage, it did cross their minds. Dolly revealed that she «dreamed» of children, but it was not «meant to be» in a 2014 interview with The Guardian. «My husband and I, when we first got married, we thought, what would they be like if we had kids? Would they be tall — because he’s tall? Or would they be short, like me? If we had a daughter, we would have named her Carla», - she said. «I would have been a great mother, I think. I probably would have given up everything else. Because I would have felt guilty about it if I left them [to work, to tour]. Everything would have changed. I probably wouldn’t have become a star».
Dolly recently admitted that she never felt a pull towards motherhood in a 2023 interview with Saga Exceptional magazine. «When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t a burning question for me. I had a career, my music, and I was constantly traveling», - she said. «If I had children, I would, of course, have stayed home with them and worried about them to death. With everything going on, I wouldn’t want to have a child right now».
This drive for work and success in a tough industry like country music was a major factor in why Dolly has no regrets about not having her own children. «I believe that I know what I’m supposed to do, but you have to make sacrifices. Because I didn’t have children, and my husband was quite independent, I had freedom. I think a big part of my success is that I was free to work, and I didn’t have children, because I believe God didn’t want me to have children, that all the children were mine, so I could do things like the Imagination Library program», - Dolly told Oprah Winfrey in a 2020 interview through Today.
Dolly revealed that Carl called her while she was doing laundry in a 2014 interview with The Guardian. «I was walking down the street to the laundromat, and he stopped me», - she said. «He said, 'Hey, you’re gonna sunburn out here!' Well, he had to say something».
Although Dolly is instantly recognizable to almost everyone, Carl stayed out of the spotlight for most of his wife’s career. Dolly talked about why her husband values his privacy in a 2020 interview with ET. «He's a quiet, reserved man, and he decided that if he ever got in the limelight, he would never get a moment’s peace, and he’s right about that», - she explained, noting that she always tried to «keep him out of the spotlight» as he wanted. «He said, 'I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose this world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.' And we do and continue to do. We’ve been together for 56 years, married for 54». Dolly even joked that they playfully say that her busy schedule is part of why their relationship has lasted so long.
The «Jolene» singer also shared the reason why Carl didn’t want to go with her on red carpets in a November 2023 radio show What Would Dolly Do? «Carl was never in the spotlight and all that, never wanted to be in the spotlight. He doesn’t like it», - she said. «He went with me to one event early in our marriage, to the BMI Song of the Year, and came out of there taking off his tuxedo, tie, and all that and said, 'Never ask me to go again'»
Learn more about Dolly’s husband Carl Dean and what they said about their relationship.
Dolly and Carl do not have children, but with almost 60 years of marriage, it did cross their minds. Dolly revealed that she «dreamed» of children, but it was not «meant to be» in a 2014 interview with The Guardian. «My husband and I, when we first got married, we thought, what would they be like if we had kids? Would they be tall — because he’s tall? Or would they be short, like me? If we had a daughter, we would have named her Carla», - she said. «I would have been a great mother, I think. I probably would have given up everything else. Because I would have felt guilty about it if I left them [to work, to tour]. Everything would have changed. I probably wouldn’t have become a star».
Dolly recently admitted that she never felt a pull towards motherhood in a 2023 interview with Saga Exceptional magazine. «When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t a burning question for me. I had a career, my music, and I was constantly traveling», - she said. «If I had children, I would, of course, have stayed home with them and worried about them to death. With everything going on, I wouldn’t want to have a child right now».
This drive for work and success in a tough industry like country music was a major factor in why Dolly has no regrets about not having her own children. «I believe that I know what I’m supposed to do, but you have to make sacrifices. Because I didn’t have children, and my husband was quite independent, I had freedom. I think a big part of my success is that I was free to work, and I didn’t have children, because I believe God didn’t want me to have children, that all the children were mine, so I could do things like the Imagination Library program», - Dolly told Oprah Winfrey in a 2020 interview through Today.
Dolly revealed that Carl called her while she was doing laundry in a 2014 interview with The Guardian. «I was walking down the street to the laundromat, and he stopped me», - she said. «He said, 'Hey, you’re gonna sunburn out here!' Well, he had to say something».
Although Dolly is instantly recognizable to almost everyone, Carl stayed out of the spotlight for most of his wife’s career. Dolly talked about why her husband values his privacy in a 2020 interview with ET. «He's a quiet, reserved man, and he decided that if he ever got in the limelight, he would never get a moment’s peace, and he’s right about that», - she explained, noting that she always tried to «keep him out of the spotlight» as he wanted. «He said, 'I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose this world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.' And we do and continue to do. We’ve been together for 56 years, married for 54». Dolly even joked that they playfully say that her busy schedule is part of why their relationship has lasted so long.
The «Jolene» singer also shared the reason why Carl didn’t want to go with her on red carpets in a November 2023 radio show What Would Dolly Do? «Carl was never in the spotlight and all that, never wanted to be in the spotlight. He doesn’t like it», - she said. «He went with me to one event early in our marriage, to the BMI Song of the Year, and came out of there taking off his tuxedo, tie, and all that and said, 'Never ask me to go again'»
© Artemenko Olga
