Dolly Parton is in mourning. The country icon announced that her husband of nearly 60 years had died. Carl Dean passed away in Nashville at the age of 82.
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"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 is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie," the post read.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice t the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy," Parton's post also continued. "The family asks for privacy during this difficult time."
Dolly Parton's Husband Dies
She also asked for privacy as she deals with this difficult time. Parton and Carl married on May 30, 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia. Over the years, he's been known to keep his privacy despite the fact that he was married to one of the biggest names in country music.
"I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me)," Parton said of their first meeting. "He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about."
The two met at a laundromat in 1964. Dolly Parton was 18 at the time.
"I'd come to Nashville with dirty clothes," she also told The New York Times in 1976. "I was in such a hurry to get here. And after I'd put my clothes in the machine, I started walkin' down the street, just lookin' at my new home, 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."
She also continued, "I wouldn't go out with him. I mean, that was somethin' we was taught. You gotta know somebody or they may take you on a back road and kill you. But I said, 'You're welcome to come up to the house tomorrow because I'm babysittin' my little nephew.'"
Meanwhile, Dean described his first thought at meeting Dolly Parton. He knew they would get married.
"My first thought was 'I'm gonna marry that girl,' " Dean also told Entertainment Tonight in 2016. "My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.' " And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."
