Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Thomas Dean have been together for decades, but there’s not much we actually know about Carl. Years ago, he made the decision to stay out of the spotlight — and you’ll never believe why.
Dolly is one of the most famous and recognizable people on the planet, and a big part of that is because she’s always lived her life as an open book for the world to see. But there’s one major part of her life that’s been hiding in the shadows for most of her career: her marriage.
Her husband, Carl, is a pretty secretive figure compared to Dolly’s outspoken and widely known persona. So, who is Dolly Parton’s secret husband of over 50 years? Carl was born in Nashville on July 20, 1942 which makes him 81 years old as of 2024.
What to Know About Dolly Parton’s Husband Carl
He still lives in Nashville in a suburb called Brentwood. His father was Edgar Henry Dean and his mother was Virginia Ginny Bates. He’s a little above average height at 5 foot 10, and he’s also a Christian. Carl has worked as a businessman since he was in his early twenties.
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In the 1970s, when Dolly’s career was taking off, he could’ve easily stayed at home and relaxed, but he clearly has a strong work ethic, because he ran an asphalt-laying company in Nashville instead.
It’s pretty admirable and says a lot about him that he decided to run a successful business, especially one that was your average blue-collar manual labor and not a part of show business. Most husbands in that position would probably get an easy high-paying job at Dolly’s record label, or just retire young.
When and How Did Dolly and Carl Meet?
But not Carl. It makes you wonder if that kind of character is what appeals to Dolly so much. Carl first met Dolly all the way back in 1964. Dolly was outside of the Wishy-Washy laundromat in Nashville. Carl was 21 and she was 18. They were both basically kids. They’ve both shared it was love at first sight.
It also really felt like fate, because they met literally on the very first day that Dolly moved to Nashville from Sevierville, Tennessee to pursue her music career. Spparently, as soon as Carl saw Dolly, he knew that she was the one he’d marry. He started flirting with her, and, two years later, they really did get married.
At the time, there were multiple people opposed to the wedding, especially Dolly’s label. That’s why Carl and Dolly had to elope. They exchanged their vows at the First Baptist Church in Nashville on May 30 1966. The only people at the wedding were Dolly’s mom, Avie Lee, as well as the preacher and his wife.
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Dolly must’ve seen something extremely special in Carl to go against her label’s advice and marry him. But her mom apparently also approved of their relationship, which was probably important to her.
Dolly and Carl seem like a pretty unusual famous couple. You’d think that we would see Carl at all kinds of events with Dolly, but he chose to stay out of the public eye intentionally.
Why Carl Stays Out of the Public Eye
Although that didn’t happen right away, because there was actually one event that really set that in motion. Carl once attended a big industry event with Dolly in 1966. There were a lot of music executives and celebrities at the event. It was dinner for BMI, and there was a red carpet with photographers.
In other words, it was exactly what you might imagine at a Hollywood premiere. Carl and Dolly put on their best clothes and went to the event together. They sat together all through the dinner, as well as the awards ceremony. Carl sat there smiling to be a supportive husband, but he reportedly felt uncomfortable.
He didn’t feel at ease in that glamorous celebrity world. It may have felt hollow and phony to him, since he was so used to keeping a low profile. After the dinner, Carl decided to speak up about how he was feeling. He said something to Dolly that would affect their marriage and the rest of their life together.
Carl told Dolly that he loved her very much and wanted her to have every single thing that she ever wanted out of her career, including dinners and award shows like that one — and that he was tremendously happy for her success and never wanted to get in her way.
But he never wanted to go to another event like that ever again. Instead of getting upset about it or pushing back, Dolly completely understood and told him that he didn’t have to go to any more of these. This really shows how much love and respect Dolly and Carl have for each other.
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Carl has largely stayed hidden since then, but he has made a few brief appearances in TV documentaries. He probably knows that it’s helpful to occasionally be seen, and he clearly still wants to support his wife.
The TV documentaries Carl has appeared in include Dateline NBC in 1994, “CMT Greatest Moments of Dolly Parton” in 2006, and “Dolly Parton: Here I Am” in 2019. But other than those, you really almost never see the guy…
Dolly Keeps Her Marriage Private On Purpose
Except sometimes, on Dolly’s social media — although that doesn’t happen all that often either. Dolly has occasionally posted pictures of him on important dates, like on Carl’s birthday, when she dressed up like one of her old magazine covers for him.
On Valentine’s Day, she posted a throwback picture of Carl kissing her when they were much younger. But even then, most of Carl’s face was obscured from the camera.
However, Carl’s wishes aren’t the only reason why their relationship has been kept away from public view. According to Dolly, she also did that on purpose to preserve some privacy from her fans. Dolly shares everything with the world, and this is something that has made her music so popular due to its honesty.
But she knows, thanks to advice from her mother, that you can’t give everything away, and you need to keep some things for yourself. So, clearly, Dolly and Carl are similar in that way. They understand that by keeping some things just for them, their relationship is richer and more fulfilling.
Carl and Dolly also like to go on simple and spontaneous dates with each other. People say you should never stop dating your partner, even when you’re married, and they seem to be following that advice.
You obviously don’t need all the money or fame in the world just to have an exciting date with the person you love, but considering Dolly’s net worth is over $650 million, the couple probably enjoys more elaborate date nights too.
Dolly and Carl never had children, but it’s not because they didn’t want to. They both wanted kids and even went so far as picking out their names. Unfortunately, they just weren’t able to actually have kids. Dolly has since said that she now thinks of all her fans as her children, and she’s happy to be a mother to them all.
It’s unclear how Carl feels about it, since he keeps to himself. But as a couple, Dolly has said that ultimately, they’re glad, because they don’t have the responsibility and worry that comes with being parents.
Dolly and Carl Are In a Somewhat Open Relationship
There’s one more aspect of Dolly and Carl’s marriage that says a lot about Carl — and that’s that they have an open relationship of sorts. This may be shocking to some people, but it works for them. Dolly says that she’s never physically intimate with other men, but she has developed crushes, and apparently regularly flirts with men.
However, she always comes back home to Carl and is faithful within the understanding they have in their marriage. That says so much about the confident person that Carl must be, because an insecure husband wouldn’t be able to handle that.
Especially with such a beautiful and famous wife, who is obviously more successful than him, even though he ran a respectable asphalt business. We also know that Carl has a great sense of humor — something that Dolly has credited as keeping them together all these years.
