Singer Dolly Parton's husband Carl Dean has died at the age of 82 - with the country legend speaking of their "many wonderful years together."
Dolly, 79, announced his death on Tuesday morning after nearly 60 years of marriage. He died in Nashville, where the couple have always lived. Dean is survived by his siblings, Sandra and Donnie. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony attended by immediate family.
The full statement read: "Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away on March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie.
"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 has asked for privacy during this difficult time."
The couple had been married since 1966. Carl Dean famously never walked a red carpet in his life, stays well away from glamorous showbiz parties and doesn't accompany Dolly on tour.
Instead he quietly ran a paving company and potters away on their sprawling farm back in Tennessee, the Mirror reports.
In a previous interview with the Mirror, Dolly told of her love for the man she first met outside the town's Wishywashy laundromat in 1964.
"I love the fact he loves me, sees me, tolerates me, because of and in spite of myself," she says.
It's all about the sweet little things he does like picking flowers for me, making my coffee in the morning. He is incredibly thoughtful and we love each other for all the same reasons.
"We are very different but very compatible. And it just works.The two greatest gifts God ever gave me was a best friend – Judy – and then Carl. I can't imagine what my life would have been without them."
The Mirror's Associate Editor (Showbiz) Tom Bryant, who interviewed Dolly numerous times, has reflected on the marriage of 60 years. He shares here his vivid memories in an emotional first-person piece.
The reporter writes: "It's fair to say they were totally different: her a global superstar, him quietly running a road-surfacing business until his retirement" in a poignant contrast of the two characters, who met when Dolly was 18.
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