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.