Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Dean were married nearly 59 years but rarely seen together. Here's a timeline of their relationship.

Dean was driving by successful his pickup motortruck erstwhile he saw Dolly Parton and "hollered" astatine her, she told The New York Times successful 1976. She declined his petition for a day but invited him complete the pursuing time while she was babysitting her nephew.

"He came up each time that week, and we sat retired connected the porch. I wouldn't moreover return him successful the house," she said. "Then my aunt sewage a time off, and she could support the kid and that was my first chance to spell anyplace pinch Carl and he drove maine consecutive to his folks' location and introduced maine to his mother and daddy. 'Cause he said he knew correct the infinitesimal he saw maine that that's the 1 he wanted."

At the time, Parton was 18 and Dean was 21.

Parton's grounds explanation asked her to hold a twelvemonth earlier getting married for the liking of her career, but she and Dean couldn't wait. They went to Georgia truthful that the arena wouldn't beryllium reported successful the Tennessee press.

"It was conscionable my mother and Carl and me," she told CMT successful 2016. "We went crossed the authorities statement to Ringgold, Georgia. My mother made maine a small achromatic dress and a small bouquet and a small Bible. But I said, 'I can't get joined successful a courthouse because I'll ne'er consciousness married.' So we recovered a small Baptist religion successful town, and went up to Pastor Don Duvall and said, 'Would you wed us?' We sewage pictures connected the steps correct extracurricular the church."

Parton received her first songwriting grant astatine 20 years aged for "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," recorded by Bill Phillips, winning BMI's Song of the Year. She and Dean walked the reddish carpet and attended the meal and grant ceremony, but it wasn't Dean's style.

"After the dinner, we walked backmost out, and they brought america our car — I don't moreover retrieve what we were driving past — and we sewage successful it and headed for home," Parton told audiences astatine the Marty Stuart Jam successful 2011, The Boot reported. "Carl turned to maine and said, 'Dolly, I want you to person everything you want, and I'm happy for you, but don't you ever inquire maine to spell to different 1 of them dang things again!'"

"My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy" reached No. 6 connected the US Top Country Albums charts.

Beyond this image, location are fewer nationalist photos of the couple.

"I sewage each dressed up successful the astir beautiful gown you've ever seen and dressed that hubby of excavation up. He looked for illustration a handsome dude retired of Hollywood," she told Rolling Stone successful 2016. "We had a fewer family and friends around. We didn't scheme thing large astatine each because we didn't want immoderate benignant of strain, immoderate benignant of tension, immoderate benignant of commotion, truthful we planned it cleverly and carefully. We conscionable had a elemental small ceremonial astatine our chapel astatine our place."

In his first nationalist connection successful grant of their 50th anniversary, Dean besides expressed his emotion for Parton.

"My first thought was, 'I'm gonna wed that girl,'" Dean said of the infinitesimal they met, Entertainment Tonight reported. "My 2nd thought was, 'Lord she's bully lookin'.' And that was the time my life began. I wouldn't waste and acquisition the past 50 years for thing connected this earth."

Parton and Aniston worked together connected the Netflix movie "Dumplin,'" pinch Parton penning six original songs for the soundtrack.

"I emotion her to death," she said of Aniston. "My hubby is crazy astir her. And he was much excited that I was gonna do a movie pinch her than he was that I sewage the chance to constitute each this music."

Parton confirmed that Dean, a retired businessman, was real, contempt rumors that he was imaginary.

"A batch of group person thought that done the years, because he does not want to beryllium successful the spotlight astatine all," Parton told Entertainment Tonight. "It's conscionable not who he is. He's like, a quiet, reserved personification and he figured if he ever sewage retired location successful that, he'd ne'er get a minute's bid and he's correct astir that."

Parton said they each weighted their independency and that Dean weighted his privateness and had nary liking successful fame.

"I've ever respected and appreciated that successful him, and I've ever tried to support him retired of the limelight arsenic overmuch arsenic I can," she said. "He said, 'I didn't take this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we tin support our lives abstracted and together.' And we do, and we have. We've been together 56 years, joined 54."

Parton shared a video of herself connected Instagram successful a achromatic bustier and pink-and-white collar pinch a front tie. 

"Hey!" Parton said successful the video. "You're astir apt wondering why I'm dressed for illustration this. Well, it's for my husband's birthday."

She said that Dean had ever loved her original Playboy cover, truthful to "make him happy" connected his birthday, she decided to get a copy outfit and group up her ain photograph shoot. 

"He still thinks I'm a basking chick aft 57 years," she said. "And I'm not gonna effort and talk him retired of that."

In the interview, Parton discussed her clip moving pinch state prima and duet partner Porter Wagoner.

"My hubby and I don't argue, but Porter and I did thing but fight. It was a love-hate relationship," she told W magazine's Lynn Hirschberg.

"You can't spell incorrect pinch fried chicken," Parton told Business Insider's Anneta Konstantinides. "I deliberation everybody should really cognize really to make bully fried chicken. No matter wherever group travel from, they emotion bully fried chicken. So you request to make bully fried chicken!" 

Parton said she besides made him pork chops pinch greenish peas and mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, aliases chickenhearted and dumplings — her specialty. 

"A batch of group for illustration my chickenhearted and dumplings," she said. "I'm beautiful celebrated for that. Carl likes each my cooking. But he, for illustration the remainder of them, particularly likes the chickenhearted and dumplings." 

In March 2022, Parton was one of 17 artists shortlisted and 1 of 7 first-time nominees.

"Even though I americium highly flattered and grateful to beryllium nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don't consciousness that I person earned that right," she said successful a statement. "I really do not want votes to beryllium divided because of me, truthful I must respectfully front out."

She added, "This has, however, inspired maine to put retired a hopefully awesome stone 'n' rotation medium astatine immoderate constituent successful the future, which I person ever wanted to do! My hubby is simply a full stone 'n' rotation freak, and has ever encouraged maine to do one."

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame declined Parton's petition to beryllium removed from the ballot, saying successful a statement, successful part, "In summation to her unthinkable talent arsenic an artist, her humility is different logic Dolly is simply a beloved icon by millions of fans astir the world."

In April 2022, she changed her tune and said she would judge the honor, if she were voted in.

"I'll judge gracefully. I'll conscionable opportunity 'Thanks' and I will judge it because the fans vote," she told NPR's "Morning Edition."

In May 2022, it was announced she had so been voted in.

In a red-carpet question and reply pinch E! News astatine her induction ceremony, Parton said that her upcoming medium would characteristic immoderate of Dean's favourite stone songs.

"We person a batch of favourite songs," she said. "He loves stone 'n' roll, he loves Led Zeppelin and he loves 'Stairway to Heaven.' So I'm going to do a batch of things for illustration that for him."

Dean's death was announced successful a station connected Parton's societal media connected March 3.

"Carl and I spent galore awesome years together," Parton wrote successful the post. "Words can't do justness to the emotion we shared for complete 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."

The station shared that Dean would beryllium "laid to remainder successful a backstage ceremonial pinch contiguous family attending."

Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, who had served arsenic her caput of security, announced the singer's decease successful a video posted to Parton's Instagram connected Tuesday. Parton's representatives told Business Insider that Parton passed "at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones" aft "bravely facing a little conflict pinch cancer."

Parton had postponed her planned Las Vegas residency successful September 2025 because of "health challenges" and canceled it successful May 2026.

"My family and I person shared a life of beautiful memories pinch Dolly, but truthful person you," Seaver said successful the video. "She has ever been connected your television, your grounds player, your CD, and connected your telephone playlist, becoming an extended portion of your family, whether you liked it aliases not. Our family and the squad she has entrusted pinch her bequest will activity diligently to guarantee her tone will unrecorded pinch america forever."

Editor's Note: This communicative was primitively published successful January 2023 and was updated successful August 2026.