A love story for the ages. Dolly Partons husband of almost 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, passed away yesterday Nashville at the age of 82. The sad news about Carl’s passing 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.”  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton) The famous story goes that they met outside of the Wishy Washy laundromat in Nashville in 1964, the same day that Dolly moved to Music City. They dated for two years, and decided they wanted to get married. And actually, at the time of their wedding, Dolly’s newfound record label didn’t want her to get married at all. They thought it might tarnish her image, and as we all know, Dolly did what she wanted anyways… so she and Carl Dean secretly ran off to Ringgold, Georgia, along with Parton’s mom Avie Lee as a witness, and headed for the local courthouse. Before the ceremony, Dolly realized that she didn’t want to do it at a government building, but insisted that they get married in a church. That wasn’t possible seeing as it was a Friday afternoon, and the county worker told them they’d have to come back on Monday. After driving through the town looking for the perfect church, Dolly found Ringgold Baptist Church and decided that’s where she wanted to tie the knot. When Monday finally came back around, the trio drove back to Georgia from Nashville. Dolly Parton next to her husband Carl Dean, around 1960s. pic.twitter.com/BrJ2w0TfyO — Fascinating (@fasc1nate) December 21, 2023 Dolly wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, that when that Monday finally rolled around, they were pressed for time because Carl had to get back to work and Dolly was scheduled for a very early appearance on The Ralph Emery Show the next day: “Because of the Monday rule, we were now pressed for time. Carl had to be at work the next morning, and I had agreed to do The Ralph Emery Show, which was done live at that ungodly hour. I would have to get up at three o’clock the next morning to prepare. By the time we got to Nashville and our bed (!!!), there was only a little while left before I was due on ‘The Ralph Emery Show.'” Time was no issue for Mr. Carl Dean, though, it sounds like, because Dolly gave him credit saying that, while he typically had a hard time telling her he loved her, “he left no doubt about it that night”: “I guess you could say our honeymoon was about two hours long. We made the most of those two hours, though, and to his credit I will say that for a man who had had trouble telling me he loved me, he left no doubt about it that night.” Sounds like two hours is all they needed, but I digress… Carl intentionally stayed out of the spotlight, and largely stayed out of Dolly’s professional life for many years. There are several decades-old photos of the two of them floating around online, but not much is known about him other than the scant details Dolly has shared over the years, like that he owned an asphalt paving business. He never attended any of her industry events (he “hated” them, and I can completely understand that), but he did give a rare comment to Entertainment Tonight in 2016 around the time they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and Dolly said she’d “do it all over again” with him: “If I had it to do all over, I’d do it all over again, and we did. I’m dragging him kicking and screaming into the next 50 years. Wish us luck.” Carl had a short, but very sweet response about his wife, saying he knew he was going to marry her the second he saw her, adding that the next thought he had was how “good lookin'” she was. He added that was the day his life really began, and he wouldn’t have traded the last 50 years for anything “on this earth”: “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. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth.” I mean, I couldn’t think of a more perfect and beautiful thing to say… Carl had to have been a good one to have made Dolly so happy for so many years, when she had everything a girl could ever want. They seem to have had a very real, grounded marriage, and it’s so sad to see such a beautiful relationship come to an end. I know they’ll be reunited one day, but our thoughts and prayers are with Dolly and their families during this incredibly difficult and sad time. Dolly Parton and Carl Dean quietly visited Ringgold nearly every year in their RV to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The pair were married for 59 years. pic.twitter.com/J2fUsUgMLN — Beatrice Peterson (@MissBeaE on all platforms) (@MissBeaE) March 4, 2025 The post Carl Dean Gave A Rare Public Statement On His Love For Dolly Parton On Their 50th Anniversary: “That Was The Day My Life Began” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced charges against 30 detention services officers who allegedly oversaw “gladiator fights” between minors at a juvenile detention facility. This development comes after leaked video footage showing one of the fights went viral on social media. The officers are facing a slew of charges, including “child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy, and battery,” according to a press release.

Linda McMahon, the new secretary of Education, sent out the agency’s “final mission” message to staffers after her confirmation vote on Monday, previewing President Trump’s plans to roll up the department. In her message, McMahon said she is ready to take on one of Trump’s “most momentous campaign promises to families” and “send education back to the states.”  

Officials in Canada and China are blasting the Trump administration for using illegal street fentanyl as justification for new trade tariffs that go into effect today. In a statement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump's criticism "unjustified," noting that fentanyl seizures at the U.S. northern border have dropped to "near-zero."

Is President Trump going to announce 'mission accomplished' on the Ukraine minerals deal during tonight's speech before a joint session of Congress? A breaking Reuters headline strongly suggests this is the case: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and Ukraine plan to sign the much-debated minerals deal following a disastrous Oval Office meeting Friday in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was dismissed from the building, four people familiar with...

For much of the past decade, President Donald Trump and his allies have been waging a war against the so-called "deep state"—and the conflict has only escalated since Trump's return to power. There's no official definition of the term, of course. Loosely, the deep state is the collection of bureaucrats, contractors, intelligence officials, and other official or even quasi-official entities that more-or-less retain their power no matter who occupies the White House or which party controls...

President Trump will address Congress on Tuesday night to sell his vision for his second administration, as he remakes American government and tests the limits of executive power. The speech comes after a blitz of executive actions seeking to purge a federal bureaucracy he views as disloyal and otherwise reshape domestic and foreign policy. In pursuing his agenda, Mr. Trump has repeatedly made false statements and claims lacking evidence, including that Ukraine started the war with...

One of the best lessons you can teach your kids is that they have the right to be who they are and who they want to be. One of the best ways to teach that lesson is to embody it yourself. Kids need your presence and your wisdom, but they also need your example. Be your truest self! Chase your dreams! Live without fear! It's the best possible way to show them that they can do it, too.However, like all things in parenting, this lesson doesn't come without its own caveats. What if you embracing your truest self is, like, totally embarrassing? What if it causes other kids to bully your children, or gets them banned from playdates? That doesn't mean it's right for people to judge you, but it will probably happen if you're a loud or controversial dresser. As a parent, what are you going to do about it?One dad recently found himself facing a conundrum: As a self-described "goth," and a larger guy to boot, he began to wonder if his unique style of dress might be having a negative impact on his kids."I'm a father of a 2 year old and 6 year old," the man wrote in a post on r/Daddit. "I dress like a [punk]/goth. It's nothing insanely extreme, just a lotta skulls and arm bands, couple chains on legs, rings. Stuff like that. ... I'm a rather large guy, 6' 7", so I already stand out." Goths tend to stand out. Giphy He says due to his size and dress, he's more than a little used to getting looks everywhere he goes. But then the dad of two recalls an incident at the playground that had him rethinking everything."Today at the park, I don't know, it felt like this lady was afraid of me? I keep to myself, smile a lot because I know I'm intimidating, and actively play with my kids, so I think it's kind of strange. After playing a while my daughter comes up crying. I ask her what's wrong, and she tells me 'my friend's mom said I can't play with you.' I look over and it's that same lady and she hurries and looks away."Later on, I'm holding my 2 year olds hand, walking him to the swings, and I overhear another kid ... go, 'ooh stay away from that guy. Stay away. My mom says he's bad'"The user than asked the dad community for advice: Should he tone it down for his kids' sake? Ditch the skulls and chains to help them fit in and make friends more easily? Or would that be setting the wrong example?The community was split on whether this dad should stop dressing goth. Great arguments emerged on both sides of a terrific debate.Lots of parents encouraged the OP to stay true to himself, as the long-term lesson he'd be teaching his kids would be worth a little short-term discomfort. What's the price of staying true to you? Giphy "Please never change your style. As your kids and your kids friends get older, you're going to be the 'cool dad.' Also, please consider the message you'd be sending to your children in changing yourself and being less authentic for the sake of making other people feel comfortable. It's not a healthy message to send.""No you should model the behavior you want to see -- positive self expression, acceptance of differences, and kindness."Others felt it was selfish of OP to continue dressing and behaving the same way he did before he was a father."It's not about you anymore, it's about your kids and the children they will interact with.""OP should do what he feels is right, but those choices come with consequences. Personally, I can't imagine being so tied to how I dress that I would keep dressing that way even if caused distress for my daughter. Like, for what? They're just clothes. ... I get that some people are really attached to how they dress, like it's part of their identity. I can't personally relate, and fundamentally don't believe that how I dress defines who I am.""I'm gonna be honest with you, and with love as a metalhead, that's kinda cringe my dude. Your clothes don't define you, and it sounds like your choice to dress like not-a-dad is going to force your kids to be outcasts. It's fine for us to be weirdo outcasts, we're adults, but you live in Mormon country and your kids don't get to choose who they see day to day at school. I dunno, swallow your pride, tone it down."Some challenged this dad to dig deep. Was punk or goth clothing really essential to his identity? Or was it just something he was used to, or maybe something he used as a shield in social situations? These are big and important questions to answer before you decide if the way you dress is something you're willing to sacrifice. Others still suggested this dad find some kind of a compromise:"Yeah I think finding a compromise is the best way forward, you can still be yourself but are also not scaring others around you (as unwarranted as it might be). And, remember you don’t always have to cut back. Probably 80% of the time you’re fine as you usually are, like at kids birthdays or something when you can get to know people etc. But if you’re gonna be around and potentially interacting with strangers’ children, it’s probably good to tone it down just a bit, just for your kids sake if anything."Experts agree that when it comes to personal identity preferences that might embarrass your kids, compromise is key.Rather than inflexibly insisting on "fully expressing yourself at all times," you may have to pick and choose a little more when you become a parent. "It's important to maintain your authentic styles for most occasions. But the dad could think about toning it down in certain circumstances like school functions or when meeting new parents. That's because the focus is on the kid, about the kid, rather than himself," says Cory Reid-Vanas, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Rocky Mountain Counseling Collective. Reid-Vanas adds that kids often don't want to stand out, so extra attention may make them feel embarrassed. Though, these moments of conflict make for good conversation and teaching moments.Ciara Bogdanovic, Licensed Psychotherapist at Sagebrush Psychotherapy,, says: "More important than how the parent dresses is their social relationships and how they handle situations. Children model their behavior after their parents. So it is important to model healthy friendships and how to deal with difficult social situations like rejection. Is the parent showing appropriate social skills on the playground? For example, is the parent greeting people and making friendly conversation?" In other words, a little extra smiling and proactive friendly behavior might help disarm judgmental bystanders.Whatever the right answer is, the fact that this father is grappling with it so heavily said a lot about the love he has for his kids. In the very long run, that is definitely what they'll end up remembering most about him.

Hopeless romantic at heart.

An era-defining group.