Dolly Parton’s Husband, Carl Thomas Dean, Has Died At 82 After Almost 60 Years Of Marriage

Dolly reflected on this during a 2024 appearance on the Dumb Blonde podcast, where she said: “He loves music, but he’s not the least bit interested in being in it.” 

Dolly also recalled the one time she convinced him to attend an awards show with her back in 1967, where she won BMI Song of the Year. Carl apparently told her afterward: “I wish you the best, but don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going.”

In a separate interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dolly said that her husband has only seen her perform live once, and quoted him as telling her: “I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.”