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Dolly Parton dedicates new song to late husband Carl Dean Dolly Parton dedicates new song to late husband Carl Dean
(32 minutes later)
US country singer says If You Hadn’t Been There is tribute to her husband of nearly 60 years, who died this weekUS country singer says If You Hadn’t Been There is tribute to her husband of nearly 60 years, who died this week
Dolly Parton has dedicated her new song, If You Hadn’t Been There, to her husband, Carl Dean, who died this week aged 82. Dolly Parton has dedicated her new song If You Hadn’t Been There to her husband Carl Dean, who died this week aged 82.
The couple were married for nearly six decades, with Dean, a businessman, remaining largely out of the spotlight as Parton became an two-time Oscar nominee and 10-time Grammy winner as well as one of the biggest-selling US musicians. The songwriter shared the tribute on Instagram earlier today, posting a picture of the couple in their youth, Parton with her arms wrapped around Dean.
The US country singer, 79, wrote on Instagram: “Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him. If You Hadn’t Been There.” She wrote: “Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him. If You Hadn’t Been There.”
She shared the post about the track, a reflection on their life together, alongside an image of the two of them. The couple had been married for nearly six decades after tying the knot in a small ceremony in Georgia in 1966.
Parton, who met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at 18, previously told NPR in 2008 that she wrote the song Jolene about a flirty bank teller who seemed to take an interest in him. They met outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat on the same day that Parton moved to Nashville at 18 to pursue her music career full-time. Parton told NPR in 2008 that she wrote the song Jolene about a flirty bank teller who seemed to take an interest in him.
They married on Memorial Day, 30 May 1966, in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. Dean, a businessman who had owned an asphalt-paving business in Nashville, largely remained out of the spotlight of his wife’s glowing success.
On Thursday, Parton wrote that she was sharing a “love note to family, friends and fans”. In 1984, the two-time Oscar nominee and 10-time Grammy winner told the Associated Press: “A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me.”
She added: “Thank you for all the messages, cards and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respect for the loss of my beloved husband, Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. On Thursday, three days after her husband’s death, Parton wrote that she was sharing a “love note to family, friends and fans”.
She added: “Thank you for all the messages, cards and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respect for the loss of my beloved husband, Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me.”
“He is God’s arms now and I am OK with that. I will always love you.”“He is God’s arms now and I am OK with that. I will always love you.”
In 2023, she brought out the album Rockstar, which also features Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sir Elton John and Sting. In 2023, she released the album Rockstar, which included collaborations with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Elton John and Sting. At the time, Parton said that Dean had enjoyed the record, which featured new versions of some of his favourite songs.
At the time, Parton said that Dean enjoyed the record, which featured some of his favourite songs re-recorded. She joked that he called her previous cover of a rock song, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, “Stairway to Hell”. Alongside her singing career, Parton has also starred in films such as 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
As well as her singing career, Parton is a successful actor, starring in films including 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Her tracks 9 to 5 and Travelin’ Thru, from the film Transamerica, were nominated for Academy Awards, while Jolene and I Will Always Love You have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Her tracks 9 to 5 and Transamerica’s Travelin’ Thru have both been nominated for Academy Awards, while Jolene and I Will Always Love You have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.