Dolly Parton's death follows the loss of her husband, Carl Dean, only 16 months prior.
The country music icon died on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the age of 80, just over a year after her husband of 59 years died in March 2025.
At the time, Parton paid tribute to Dean in a touching statement, saying, "words can't do justice to the love we shared." She later expressed her gratitude
to those who showed their support as she grieved."Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you've sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl," she said. "I can't reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me."
"He is in God's arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you," Parton concluded.
Dolly Parton, husband kept relationship private: Inside their love story
The
couple, who did not share any children, met at a laundromat the day Parton moved to Nashville in 1964. They tied the knot in secret nuptials in Georgia in 1966 because the legendary musician record label didn't want her to get married.
They renewed their vows for their 50th anniversary in 2016, during which Dean recalled meeting Parton: "My first thought was 'I'm gonna marry that girl.' My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin'.' And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."
Dean rarely appeared in public with Parton throughout her career, focusing on real estate dealings and tending to their Nashville ranch. She explained his decision her 1994 autobiography "Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business," revealing that after attending an awards show the year they got married, he told her, "I love you, and I will support you in your career any way I can, but I am not going to any more of these wingdings."
While they kept their relationship mostly private, Parton gushed over Dean several times over the years. In 2021, she posted a sweet throwback photo of them together with the caption, "Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!"
In a 2024 interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, she said, "There's always that safety, that security, that strength. He's a good man, and we've had a good life and he's been a good husband."
When did Dolly Parton's husband die?
Dean died March 3, 2025, and Parton shared the news in a statement on her social media accounts: "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 "I Will Always Love You" singer later opened up about her own health struggles, telling People just four days before she died, "I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn't pay attention to when I was watching over Carl."
The interview came a week after Parton virtually attended the Aug. 14 grand opening of a new ride at her Dollywood theme park despite being set to appear in person. In a video message, she also attributed her absence to her heath.
"I've told you before, all my fans, that I've had a few little health issues and sometimes I get a little dizzy and I get dehydrated. And I'm dehydrated," she said at the time. "So my Nashville doctor has kind of clipped my wings, saying, 'You ain't traveling this week.' So I guess if your doctor tells you, 'You ain't traveling this week,' you ain't traveling this week."
Dolly Parton dies, family announces country music legend's death
Parton's family announced her death in an Aug. 25 video message shared to her social media pages.
"This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality," Bryan Seaver, Parton's nephew, said. "As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven't truly felt it until now. It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness."
Seaver also mentioned Dean and Parton's family: "Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens."
Parton intended to be buried next to her Dean at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Seaver told TMZ.
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, Anna Kaufman, Edward Segarra, USA TODAY; Devarrick Turner, Knoxville News Sentinel
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's death comes 16 months after husband Carl Dean died
