“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,” Parton shared. The statement concluded that “The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”
Dean and Parton met the day she moved to Nashville at age 18, according to The Associated Press. “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” the singer said of their first encounter. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
Despite their long and by all accounts successful marriage, Dean almost never appeared publicly with his famous wife. “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,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2020 (via People). “I’ve always respected and appreciated that in him, and I’ve always tried to keep him out of the limelight as much as I can. He said, ‘I didn’t choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.’ And we do and we have.”
In December 2024, Parton explained what made their relationship work on an episode of the Dumb Blonde podcast. “He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny,” she said. “Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other [and] we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”
