Who was Carl Dean? Everything to know about Dolly Parton’s husband who inspired ‘Jolene’ in the wake of his death at 82

Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, died on Monday, March 3, at the age of 82. According to Dolly, Carl was extremely reserved. Not much is known about him except that he was an asphalt paver when they met in 1964.

Parton announced his death on the same day in a statement on Instagram which read:

“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie…”

It further continued:

"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."

Additionally, her hit song Jolene is reportedly inspired by him. As per her July 1, 2014, Independent interview, Jolene was "loosely based on a little bit of truth" by a woman who harbored feelings for Carl.

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Dolly Parton's husband, who died at 82, had always stayed away from the spotlight

Dolly Parton's husband inspired Jolene (Image via Getty Images)

Dean married the country legend Dolly Parton in 1966. He has always avoided the limelight, hence the singer barely posted any pictures of him throughout the years. They never went to public gatherings as well.

As per People Magazine's March 3 report, Dean was born in Nashville, Tenn., in 1942. His parents, Edgar Ed Henry Dean and Virginia Ginny Bates Dean had three children, including him. Parton said that Dean had a close relationship with his grandmother, Minnie Bates, in her 1994 book Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business.

Additionally, he met Dolly Parton in 1964 outside a laundromat in Nashville. At that time, he was 21 and worked as an asphalt paver. On the other hand, Dolly was 18 and recently relocated to Nashville to pursue her musical career. She was staying with her Uncle Bill there.

When discussing her first meeting with Carl, she told The New York Times in a May 9, 1976 interview:

“I'd come to Nashville with dirty clothes… I was in such a hurry to get here.. And this guy hollered at me... And I waved. Bein’ from the country, I spoke to everybody. And he came over and, well, it was Carl, my husband.”

Then, discussing their first date, she said during the same interview that she refused to go out with him because she didn't know him. So she then invited him to visit her house the following day since she was watching her little nephew.

She added that Dean visited her every day of that week and then on their first date, he took her to meet his parents. Then, according to Dolly Parton's own website, two years later, she married Carl Dean in Ringgold, Georgia, on Memorial Day 1966.

Talking about her husband's low-key life, Parton stated in an October 29, 2020, interview with Entertainment Tonight that her husband had never desired attention.

“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.”

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Jolene was inspired by Carl

Dolly once said that Carl inspired her famous track Jolene. In the same Independent interview during the 2014 Glastonbury Festival, she said that one woman's jealousy of her significant other's interest in another woman is chronicled in the singer's October 1973 hit song.

However, the singer clarified that the "real" Jolene made no attempt to "take" Dean. Rather, she helped him at the bank and engaged him in flirtatious banter. She further said:

"[The] song was loosely based on a little bit of truth.. I wrote that years ago when my husband… was spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should be."

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In the meantime, while announcing the news of his demise, the family has requested privacy during the trying times. However, the reason of his death was not stated.