Singer, who met Dean when she was 18, says ‘words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years’
Carl Dean, devoted husband of Dolly Parton and also the inspiration behind Parton’s iconic hit Jolene, died on Monday. He was 82.
According to a statement provided to the Associated Press by Parton’s publicist, Dean died in Nashville, Tennessee, and will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending.
“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,” Parton wrote in a statement.
The family has asked for respect and privacy at this time. No cause of death was announced.
Parton met Dean outside the Wishy Washy laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at 18.
“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.
