Dolly Parton shared rare insight into relationship with husband Carl Dean months before his death at 82
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Country music icon Dolly Parton provided a rare insight into her life with late husband Carl Dean only months before his death, E! News reported on Tuesday, March 4.
Parton, 79, met Dean when she moved to Nashville in 1964. The couple fell in love and got married in 1966, and they stayed together till the end. Dean died on Monday, March 3, at the age of 82.
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Dolly Parton shares insight into marriage with Carl Dean
In an exclusive interview with E! News co-hosts Keltie Knight and Justin Sylvester in May last year, Dolly Parton opened up about the dynamic she shared with her husband, saying, "It is important to have someone there in your corner and you know they'll love you for just who you are."
"There's a great comfort in knowing that someone loves you exactly for who you are—because he fell in love with me before I became a star," she said of Carl, who reportedly preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
"To him, I'm his star," observed Parton, adding that their partnership worked "because we both do different things, and it's exciting when we are together".
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"We just enjoy each other," she noted. "One of the things that we like to do—not necessarily a date night, we have a lot of date days—we have our little RV, and we like to travel around. Going down and get some food, or I'll make a picnic and we go down to the river," she added.
In a separate interview to the outlet in December, Parton shared a personal detail about how she always had her husband in her mind.
"Carl and I have never bought big fancy presents for each other. When I see things through the years that I think he would like, when I'm out, I'll just kind of collect stuff and give them to him," she explained.
Dean was apparently fond of the habit and reciprocated in kind.
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"He knows I love to cook when I'm home, and he always buys me something for the kitchen. A new pot or a new pan or some kind of something he's seen on TV he thinks I might like," shared Parton.
She added that the holidays were considered "sacred time" by the couple, and they never spent it apart. She even had a standing instruction for her team not to book her during the holidays as she needed to be home with her family.
Fans express condolences as Dolly Parton mourns husband's death
With E! News sharing a clip from the interview with Dolly Parton on Instagram upon Carl Dean's demise, netizens paid tribute to him and expressed condolences to Parton in the comment section.
"I always admired their marriage. It’s a true love story .. I’m heartbroken for her," wrote a person.
"Beautiful love story…Rip Carl," echoed another.
"So happy for her and her husband to have had this love story, so sorry for her loss," shared another.
"Beautiful story and such a blessing to have a long and fulfilling journey with your spouse. God bless Dolly. RIP Carl!" expressed one fan.
"Promise made, promise kept..till death do us part. To have been loved and married for so long is a blessing. RIP Carl," posted another.
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