Country singer Dolly Parton married Carl Dean for nearly six decades

Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Dean were married for 59 years before his death in March 2025. They first met in Nashville in 1964, on Parton's very first day in the city. She was 18 years old, and they met outside a laundromat. Two years later, they married in Ringgold, Georgia.

Their life together looked very different from the outside. Parton became a famous country music star and travelled constantly for her career. Dean preferred to stay at home and kept away from the entertainment world. Parton said their marriage worked because of humour, their different personalities, and giving each other space.

Parton supported Dean publicly after his death. She herself died in August 2025, following a short illness with cancer.