Everything to Know About Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean's Marriage

Inside Dolly Parton's enviable marriage with Carl Thomas Dean: The country crooner and her husband are child-free!   

Dolly Parton's musical prowess and unparalleled legacy spans decades. Born in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, Parton has been reigning in the hearts of millions as a beloved singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist. From her earliest hit, Jolene, and 9 to 5, to her latest, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, Dolly Parton's music isn't just a soundtrack; it's a testament to her ever-green legacy.  

Born into a large, close-knit family, on January 19, 1946, Parton's story starts with a humble beginning. As a little girl, Parton sang in local churches, and later on local radio and television programs, thereby honing her songwriting skills in the process. If we were to recall the precise period, Dolly's meteoric rise to stardom started after her first number-one single, Joshua, in 1970.  

A Look at Dolly Parton's Enduring Conjugal Life!  

With a thriving career and an enduring conjugal life, Dolly Parton seemingly has it all. The multiple Grammy winner has been happily married to Carl Thomas Dean since 1966, which makes the couple's relationship a rarity in an industry as shallow as Hollywood.   

When gauged from the surface, keeping it private seems to be the biggest factor in the duo's longstanding marriage, but look dig deeper, and you'll discover the multifold factors that make the two a match made in heaven. To put it perfectly, Dolly and Dean's is a love story straight out of a country song.  

Parton was a fresh high school graduate, new in the city of music Nashville when she crossed paths with her future husband, Dean. "My first thought was I'm gonna marry that girl," the ever-reticent Carl recounts on their 50th wedding anniversary. Things took off for the young couple shortly after and so did Parton's career.   

Parton and Carl had every reason to not delve into a marital life, given Dolly's newly-found fame, her hectic schedule, and more, but the loved-up couple just needed one reason to go for it. The pair had two years of dating bliss before they exchanged their vows in a secret ceremony in May 1966.  

As per insiders at the time, the only witnesses of their holy matrimony were Dolly's mom, Avie, and the preacher. Throughout their marriage, the couple has shown commitment and respect for each other as unwavering as Dolly's legacy, all while remaining extremely low-key.    

Dolly loves that her husband likes her the way she is! 

The Jolene hitmaker has gushed about her extraordinary marriage and her peculiar husband a number of times, and we've heard Dean's viewpoints, but only from Dolly's mouth. "Carl has never been in the limelight and all never wanted to be in it. He doesn't like it," the Grammy winner once said.  

Dolly's low-profile husband joined her on the red carpet once in 1966 and reportedly swored off it after that. Parton's blissful conjugal life isn't without some crisis and the clear indication of it surfaced recently. The 9 to 5 crooner is reportedly taking a break from her career due to her husband's deteriorating health.  

A source has disclosed that Carl, who is over 81, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago, and Parton is prioritizing her personal life over her work. "She wants to make sure they enjoy every last minute they have together," the source said.   

Why did Dolly Parton Never Had Kids?  

Parton and her beloved husband have no kids of their own. Not that the thought of having little versions of themselves never crossed their minds, but their initial plan never turned out their way. Now, almost six decades later, Parton and Dean are glad of their decision to not have children.  

"I know this sounds like a selfish, awful thing to say, but I'm almost glad I never had children," the Jolene crooner said, adding, "Nobody's willing to listen to anybody else," alluding to the world's worsening political condition. Parton says, for her and Dean, they are each other's kids. "He's my only child, and I'm his only child," the country crooner quipped.  

Dolly previously shared that she did plan to become a mother and was confident of her parenting ability- she is a doting aunt to many nieces and nephews after all, but God had other plans. The Grammy winner's battle with endometriosis, a disease that is linked with infertility, stood in the way of Parton's dream to have kids.   

Parton has been candid about how the disease affected her, and how the looming realization and scare of never being able to bear kids led her to depression. It wasn't until the singer snapped herself out of the pointless worry and made peace with her circumstances. "It just wasn't meant to be," said Dolly.  

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