Dolly Parton Dedicates Song to Late Husband, Carl Dean

Dean died in Nashville on Monday, March 3. He was 82. (Courtesy: WVLT)

Dolly Parton Dedicates Song to Late Husband, Carl Dean

Posted on March 7, 2025

Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) Late Thursday night, Dolly Parton released a song dedicated to her late husband, Carl Dean.

Dean died in Nashville on Monday. He was 82.

“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end,” Parton said. “They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him.”

“If You Hadn’t Been There” is available here.

Parton and Dean, who was never one for the spotlight and was considered the inspiration for “Jolene,” were married for 60 years.

Dean died in Nashville on Monday, March 3. He was 82. (Courtesy: WVLT)

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