Who was Carl Dean? Exploring Life and Career of Dolly Parton’s Husband Amid His Death at 82

Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, passed away at the age of 82. The businessman and the country pop singer shared 60 years of their lives together. Read the details below.

Written by Rashi Desai , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 04, 2025 | 09:03 AM IST | 11.1K

Dolly Parton via Getty Images

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.

Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, passed away at the age of 82. While the cause of the death was not revealed, the country singer and his family announced the unfortunate news by releasing a statement. Parton’s partner was not seen in the public domain as often, but the musician would mention him at events and on various other occasions.

Parton went on to post about her husband’s death on her Instagram account, where the 9-to-5 crooner penned, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together.” She further stated, “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

The singer continued in her statement, “He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie. The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time.”

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Dean spent most of his life as a businessman, owning an asphalt-paving company in Nashville. He was born to Virgina Bates Dean and Edgar Henry Dean in 1942 and met Parton outside of the Wishy Washy Laundromat. The latter was 18 at the time.

The musician moved to Nashville, and two years later, the couple got married in Georgia.

Previously opening up about her marriage with the late Carl Dean, the Jolene singer revealed to People Magazine, “My husband and I, we’ve been together 56 years. We’ve just been married 54 years this past May. But we still have our little times, like in the springtime when the first yellow daffodils come out.”

She further claimed, “Even if there’s still some snow around it, my husband always brings me a bouquet. And he’ll usually write me a little poem. Which to me, that’s priceless."

At the age of 82, the late businessman's net worth was $20 million, while his wife’s net worth is $650 million, as per the reports by Marca.