Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, her family has announced. Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, broke the news in an Instagram video announcing the Jolene singer's passing. Tributes have since poured in from fans, friends and admirers across the musical world.
In his memorial to his aunt, Seaver mentioned his uncle Carl Dean, who was married to Dolly for nearly 60 years. 'Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens,' Seaver said.
How Dolly and Carl met
Dolly met Carl when she was 18, having just moved to Nashville in 1964 to pursue her music career. The pair met outside the Wishy Washy launderette on the day she arrived in Tennessee. 'I'd come to Nashville with dirty clothes,' she told The New York Times in 1976. 'I was in such a hurry to get here. After I'd put my clothes in the machine, I started walkin' down the street, just lookin' at my new home, and this guy hollered at me, and I waved. Bein' from the country, I spoke to everybody. And he came over and, well, it was Carl, my husband.'
In 1970, in an interview with The Tennesseean, Dolly confessed she was 'maybe flirtin' a little' but mainly was 'just being friendly' after he approached her. On their 50th anniversary, she wrote on her website: 'I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.'
A private wedding and a reclusive husband
Within two years of meeting, the couple married in Georgia at an intimate ceremony attended only by Dolly, her soon-to-be husband, her mother, the preacher, and his wife. The public had never seen Carl when they married, setting a precedent for his lifelong avoidance of cameras. It wasn't until 1979 that a reporter finally saw him. In a profile for Cosmopolitan, the journalist described him as 'tall and good-looking,' comparable to a young Gregory Peck, adding: 'He has a way of moving his angular body so that he seems to come toward you in sections. He is a fan of television and nightclub comic Steve Martin.'
Dolly said she 'likes the way he loves' her, letting her 'be free' to be herself. 'His understanding of me and the things I do,' she told Playboy in 1978. 'The way he lets me be free. And lets me be me.'
No children of their own
The couple never had children but are said to have helped raise some of Dolly's younger siblings, as she is one of 12 kids. In 2017, she released a children's album, I Believe in You, and launched the Imagination Library, which provides free books to children. On The Today Show, she addressed the couple not having children, calling it God's plan: 'God has a plan for everything. I think it probably was his plan for me not to have kids so everybody's kids could be mine. And they are now.' She also told Billboard: 'Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, "Aren't you glad we didn't have kids? Now we don't have kids to worry about".'
Carl Dean's death and their enduring bond
Dolly announced the death of her husband, Carl Dean, 82, on Monday, March 3, in Nashville, with an emotional Instagram message. Carl stayed out of the spotlight, never attending glamorous parties or award shows, but Dolly spoke of their life together with warmth. 'Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.'
Dolly frequently mentioned Carl over the years. In an interview with Playgirl in the early 80s, she insisted they 'never' argue but 'sometimes get a little touchy' when tired or aggravated, adding: 'We never put ourselves in a situation where we bicker back and forth.' However, 40 years later, she confessed on Table Manners With Jessie Ware that they were 'sick' of each other: 'I'm sure he's sick of me. My husband and I have been together for 57 years, been married 54, and I'm sick of him.'
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight the same year, she said: 'A lot of people have thought that through the years because he does not want to be in the spotlight at all. It's just not who he is. He's, like, a quiet, reserved person and he figured if he ever got out there in that, he'd never get a minute's peace, and he's right about that.'
Three years ago, Dolly dressed up as a Playboy bunny for his birthday. 'I made him breakfast and [ran] around in that for a little while,' she revealed to US Weekly in 2022. She added: 'You know, most people can keep a marriage [going strong] if you make a little effort. … We're the perfect partners. We both have [a] great sense of humour. We're able to, like, solve any problems and any situation, making a joke about it and not letting it get too heavy, but we respect each other and we like each other. We lucked up, let's put it that way.'
