Dolly Parton says “words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years”, following the death of her husband, who inspired her timeless hit Jolene.

Carl Dean, Parton’s husband, died at the age of 82 in Nashville, Tennessee, according to a statement by Parton’s publicist obtained by the Associated Press.

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean first met outside a Nashville laundromat. (Instagram: Dolly Parton)

“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.

How did Dolly Parton meet her husband?

The famous country singer met then 21-year-old Dean when she was 18, outside a laundromat on the day she moved to Nashville.

“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton recalled in a 2008 interview.

“He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”

Loading Instagram content

The couple married two years later, in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia, in May, 1966.

Parton and Dean renewed their vows in a private ceremony on their 50th wedding anniversary in Nashville.

“I thought well, you know, we need to do something — it’s been a good 50 years and I don’t know how many more years we’ll have left,” Parton said in a 2016 interview.

“If I had it to do all over, I’d do it all over again, and we did,” she said.

What has Dolly Parton said about her husband?

Speaking to the Dumb Blonde podcast late last year, Parton revealed the secret ingredients to her long-lasting marriage were love, respect and humour.

“He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re funny,” she said.

“I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other [and] we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”

“Anytime [there’s] too much tension going on, either one of us can like, find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far,” she said.

Dolly Parton married her husband in 1966 in Georgia. (Instagram: Dolly Parton)

Parton’s iconic hit Jolene, which was twice nominated at the Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, was written about a flirty bank teller who seemed to take an interest in Dean.

“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton said in a 2008 interview.

“And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us.”

Over the years, Parton has described her husband as a “country boy”, who loves to work on his tractors to media outlets. 

Dean, who was known for avoiding the spotlight, will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending.

Dean is survived by Parton and his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie.

No cause of death was announced.