Dolly Parton has shared a moving new tribute to her late husband Carl Dean following his death at the age of 82.

Dolly Parton’s husband Carl Dean died aged 82. Credit: Instagram/dollyparton

The country icon, 79, had been married to Dean for almost 60 years, having met when she was just 18 years old and he was 23.

The pair largely kept their relationship out of the limelight, with the ‘Jolene’ star occasionally giving fans a small insight into their enduring love story.

News of Dean’s death was announced on Parton’s social media after he died in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 3.

She shared a statement at the time, telling fans: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy. The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”

Now, Parton has shared a further post thanking her fans and loved ones for the outpouring of support she received after losing her soulmate.

She wrote: “This is a love note to family, friends and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl.

“I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am OK with that.”

She ended her message by referencing one of the most famous songs she’s written: “I will always love you.”

Parton also posted her song ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’ with a sweet cover photo of her and Dean in their younger days, writing: “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’.”

The couple famously met at a laundromat when she was 18 years old and got married in 1966.
Despite Parton’s enormous fame, Dean largely stayed out of the limelight and let her shine, and very few photos of him exist publicly.

The singer allowed fans small glimpses into their personal life, including a cheeky snap of her surprising him for his 79th birthday in 2021 by dressing up in a Playboy bunny costume to recreate her famous cover shoot.

She revealed to The Project later that year that she’d done it to raise his spirits amid a period of ill health, explaining: “My husband has not been feeling well for quite a while, and I’ll do anything that I can to make him feel better and lift his spirits and everything. He’s always thought I was beautiful.”

Dolly Parton gave fans rare glimpses into her private life with Carl Dean, Credit: Instagram/Dolly Parton
Parton also joked about the fact that people sometimes didn’t believe her husband existed due to his desire to avoid fame.

She told the Associated Press in 1984: “A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me.”

Dean, meanwhile, gave a rare interview in 2016, telling Entertainment Tonight of his memories of first meeting his wife.

He sweetly revealed: “My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ 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.”

Our thoughts remain with Parton and Dean’s loved ones at this heartbreaking time.