Carl Dean, husband of country music legend Dolly Parton, passed away at 82 in Nashville, Tennessee. The couple had been married for nearly 60 years. Parton expressed her grief, stating, “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.” The family has requested privacy during this difficult time.

Dean, a businessman, preferred to stay out of the spotlight despite his wife’s fame. “He loves music, but he’s not the least bit interested in being in it,” Parton once said. The couple renewed their vows in 2016 but otherwise maintained a low-profile marriage.

They met in 1964 outside a laundromat in Nashville when Parton was 18 and Dean was 21. He supported her rise to fame while running his road-paving business. “He’s quiet and I’m loud… we have a lot of fun,” she shared.

Despite their differences, their relationship thrived. “We never fought back and forth,” Parton recalled. Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with close family.