Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband and the inspiration behind ‘Jolene’, dies at 82
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly six decades, has died at 82. His death was announced via Parton’s social media accounts on Monday. No cause of death was given.
“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton said in the Instagram post. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
Although Dean was rarely seen in public, Parton spoke of him often in interviews, revealing that they had made a mutual agreement that he would stay out of the spotlight. It was, she explained, something that helped their relationship.
They met in 1964 outside of a laundromat the day Parton moved to Nashville from rural Tennessee at 18. “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton joked when describing the meeting (via the AP). “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
Dean ran an asphalt paving company and avoided public appearances, but he was an integral part of Parton’s career, inspiring her timeless classic, ‘Jolene’. According to the singer, she wrote the song about a red-headed bank teller who flirted with Dean every time they came in.
“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.”
Ultimately, however, she said that the rivalry really wasn’t as fierce as it sounds in the song. “It’s really an innocent song all around,” she said, “But sounds like a dreadful one.”
In 2011, shortly after the couple celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary, Parton opened up about their relationship. “We’re really proud of our marriage,” she said. “It’s the first for both of us. And the last.”
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