Remembering Carl Dean in Song, Dolly's Husband of 58 Years Passes Away at 82

by Ben Childers

Photo credit: Dolly Parton on Instagram

Carl Thomas Dean, Dolly's husband of 58 years, passed away on Monday, February 3, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. Carl was born on July 20, 1942, in Nashville. He and Dolly met in 1964 outside a laundromat on the day she moved from the Smokies to Nashville. They were married on May 30, 1966, in Ringgold, Georgia, in a private ceremony attended only by Dolly's mother, the preacher, and the preacher's wife. Carl led a private life away from the spotlight, running a successful asphalt paving business in Nashville. The couple renewed their vows in a private ceremony in 2016 for their 50th wedding anniversary. Carl is survived by his wife, Dolly, and his siblings, Sandra and Donnie.

Below I've collected a few of the songs Dolly wrote about her love for Carl over the years. May he rest in peace and I hope Dolly can feel the outpouring of love for her and Carl from her fans around the world. We will always love you. ​♥

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♥ Forever Love (2016) ​♥

Dolly wrote "Forever Love" for her and Carl's 50th wedding anniversary vow renewal in 2016 and included it on her Pure & Simple album. Dolly said in a 2016 Rolling Stone article, "That's the one I considered our wedding song because we got remarried on May 30th, on our 50th anniversary. I thought I'd have to have a little wedding song, so that was the one. I purposely tried to write a wedding song and I thought it would be a good wedding song for anybody's wedding."

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♥ Tomorrow Is Forever (1970 & 2016) ​♥

Dolly originally recorded "Tomorrow Is Forever" as a duet with Porter Wagner on their 1970 album, Porter Wayne and Dolly Parton. The duet reached number nine on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Dolly cited the song as one she had written about her relationship with Carl in 2016 when she re-recorded it for the Pure & Simple album. 

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♥ Say Forever You'll Be Mine (1975 & 2016) ♥

Dolly originally recorded "Say Forever You'll Be Mine" as a duet with Porter Wagner on their 1975 album the same name. The duet reached number five on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Dolly cited the song as one she had written about her relationship with Carl in 2016 when she re-recorded it for the Pure & Simple album. 

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♥ From Here to the Moon and Back (2013) ♥

Dolly first recorded "From Here to the Moon and Back" with Kris Kristofferson in 2012 for the Joyful Noise soundtrack. The following year she recorded it as a duet with Willie Nelson. It was included on Nelson's To All the Girls... album and Dolly's Blue Smoke album. In her 2020 book, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, Dolly said, "This song is very much based on my husband, Carl." It will most likely be featured in Dolly: An Original Musical. She went on to say, "I'm using it in a musical for Broadway that I'm writing. It's my life story as a musical. This is going to be sung as a duet between the 'Carl' character and the 'Dolly' character in that."

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♥ Jolene (1973) ​♥

Dolly has recounted the inspiration behind "Jolene" many times. The song draws from two unrelated events. After a show with Porter one night, Dolly was signing autographs. A little girl came up and asked for an autograph and said her name was Jolene. Dolly said she thought it was a beautiful name and told the little girl if she ever hears a song titled "Jolene" you'll know it's about you. On the way back to the bus Dolly kept repeating "Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene" to keep from forgetting the name. She decide she would begin the song with the same repetition. She then thought of a true story where she had caught her husband Carl flirting with a girl who worked at the bank. She combined both of these inspirations to create the song. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and was included on Dolly's 1974 album of the same name.