KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, died on Monday in Nashville. He was 82.
On Friday, Parton released a new song in dedication to him.
“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end,” Parton said. “They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him.”
The song, “If You Hadn’t Been There,” is now available on most music streaming services.
Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him.‘If You Hadn’t Been There’ https://t.co/dUq9Fgwd3xpic.twitter.com/BYjAXmd7oj
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 7, 2025
On Thursday, Parton released a statement thanking her family, friends and fans for their support.
Parton met Dean the day she moved to Nashville.
“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton described the meeting. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
They married two years later on Memorial Day in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia.
Dean was a businessman, having owned an asphalt-paving business in Nashville. His parents, Virginia “Ginny” Bates Dean and Edgar “Ed” Henry Dean, had three children. Parton referred to his mother as “Mama Dean.”
Dean is survived by Parton and his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family.