A Journey Through Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean's Lasting Relationship Timeline

Country music legend Dolly Parton is mourning the loss of her husband, Carl Thomas Dean. He passed away on Monday, March 3, 2025, at the age of 82 in Nashville.

The lowkey couple was married for almost 60 years before his death.

As we remember their lasting love, let's take a look back at Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean's remarkable relationship timeline.

The lovebirds crossed paths for the first time in 1964, right outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat in Nashville. It was Dolly's very first day in the famous music city, and Carl later recalled knowing he'd found someone extraordinary when he saw her.

"My first thought was, 'I'm gonna marry that girl,'" Carl shared in 2016, per Entertainment Tonight.

After two years of dating, Carl proposed to Dolly, and the couple married on May 30, 1966, in a small, intimate ceremony at the Ringgold Baptist Church in Ringgold, Ga. The only attendees were the pastor, Don Duvall, his wife, and Dolly’s mother, Avie Lee Owens.

Although they kept their relationship largely private, Dolly Parton paid tribute to Carl Thomas Dean with the release of her first solo album, "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy." The album's cover features a photo of Carl sitting on a log, wearing jeans and a plaid red shirt.

Dolly's legendary hit song "Jolene" was inspired by her husband Carl and a flirtation she noticed between him and a woman who worked as a local bank teller.

In a rare interview for the cover of People in 1977, Dolly spoke about her husband, Carl. She described him as "sort of shy and quiet," adding, "What we have together is so sweet and good that I'd never want it to get jumbled up with the other."

By 1980, rumors began circulating that Carl Thomas Dean might not even exist. Fans speculated that Dolly had made him up, as he was never seen at her shows, on the red carpet, or by her side.

A year later, Dolly set the record straight, revealing that Carl had actually accompanied her to Los Angeles for much of her filming schedule for 9 to 5.

After people began questioning Carl's existence, rumors of divorce followed. Dolly quickly dismissed them, saying, "[Carl] was the man God intended for me to have. We'll just always be together … There ain't a man in this world could ever live up to my husband."

On her 2002 "Halos & Horns" album, Dolly included a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," her husband Carl's favorite song.

While writing "From Here to the Moon and Back" for her 2012 film Joyful Noise, Dolly used Carl as her muse.

"I needed to write a beautiful love song," she told The Boot. "I picked my husband, who I love, and I thought, 'Well, I'll write some beautiful song about him.'"

In 2012, Dolly and Carl returned to Ringgold, the town where they tied the knot in 1966.

In March 2015, Dolly opened up to People about her relationship: "​​My husband is a good man ... He's a deep person, but he has a great and warped sense of humor. He makes me laugh and entertains me. He's very secure within himself."

She added that their opposite personalities keep things exciting: "We're completely opposite, but that's what makes it fun. I never know what he's gonna say or do. He's always surprising me."

To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Dolly and Carl renewed their vows in a small ceremony at their Nashville home, with a few close family and friends in attendance. Shortly after, they set off on an RV honeymoon!

In 2016, Dolly released her album "Pure and Simple," which was deeply inspired by Carl. Three songs in particular — "Forever Love," "Say Forever You'll Be Mine," and "Tomorrow Is Forever" — were written about him, with the latter two penned shortly after their wedding.

For Carl's birthday, Dolly dressed in a Playboy bunny suit, recreating the look from her 1978 cover.

"My husband always loved the original cover, so I was trying to think of something to do to make him happy," she said in a video of her wearing the outfit. "He still thinks I'm a hot chick, after 57 years, and I'm not gonna try to talk him out of that. And I hope he agrees!"

On the final episode of What Would Dolly Do? Radio, Dolly revealed that after attending just one public event early in their marriage, Carl made it clear he wanted no part of the spotlight.

"He went to one thing with me early on, when we first married, to a BMI Song of the Year [event], and he came out of there taking off his tuxedo, his tie and all that and said, 'Don't ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain't going.' I never asked him and he never did."

On March 3, 2025, Dolly Parton shared the sad news of her husband Carl Thomas Dean's passing on Instagram.

"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years," Dolly wrote. "Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."