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Was Dolly Parton in an 'Open' Relationship With Husband Carl Dean Before His Death?
Was Dolly Parton in an open relationship with her long-time husband Carl Dean? Check out what the Country star said about their relationship over the years amid Dean's death.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of death.
Dolly Parton announced the passing of her husband, Carl Dean, at 82 on Monday, March 3. The country music legend also paid tribute in an Instagram post, writing, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.”
The couple had been together for nearly 60 years until his tragic passing. Despite their decades-long relationship, they kept their personal lives private—especially Dean, who was known to be a recluse.
However, the Jolene hitmaker admitted in the past that their relationship was an “open” one. In an interview with The Mirror US, Parton confessed that men are her weakness and that she has had crushes on some unusual men—“short, fat, bald, or skinny”—over the years.
She also revealed that her husband knew she would always come back home to him. He knew she wouldn’t sleep with those men but would engage in some harmless flirting. In her 2017 autobiography, Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton, the singer provided insights into her and Dean’s relationship.
“He's not jealous, and I'm not jealous of him. He knows I flirt. He flirts too,” she wrote. She further clarified that their relationship was open but not sexually. “I would kill him if I thought he was doing that,” she added.
In an interview with E! News in 2022, the 11-time Grammy winner revealed how they kept the spark alive in their relationship. She shared that they kept things “spicy” by playing dress-up.
The couple never had children throughout their marriage, which—according to Parton in an interview with Billboard—was never their plan when they tied the knot. They had even picked out names for their potential children. However, the singer later realized that not having children was for the best. “God has a plan for everything,” she said at the time.
Carl Dean is survived by his siblings, Sandra and Donnie.
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