When you think about Dolly Parton, there may be a number of things that come to mind. Some people think about her music, others may think about her lifestyle or how she grew up. There is something else that makes up her life, however, and that was her marriage to Carl Dean.
Although many fans of Dolly Parton realized that she was married to Carl Dean, he lived such a quiet and private life that it was almost as if he didn’t exist. In fact, there was a lot of speculation about him because of his staying out of the limelight, but most of it wasn’t true.
One thing that is true is the fact that Dolly Parton and Carl Dean had a relationship that was stable enough to stand the test of time. They built a bond of humor, mutual respect, and a love for each other.
Although Parton was very open in her interviews on many subjects, she didn’t often talk about her home life and open up the curtain so that we could get a look inside. That changed in 2005, however, when she gave an interview and gave us a rare glimpse into the relationship she shared with her husband.
She talked about how they moved to Nashville and it was during a time when they didn’t know how things were going to turn out for them. She also spoke about how she rose to become very famous, but her husband, a blue-collar man continued to focus on the simple life.
She said: “I have so much respect for him. He’s not interested in show business at all. He loves music, but he doesn’t want to be part of that world. He’s my grounding force.”
She also talked about how all of the things that were different between them is actually what kept them together. They did have some common ground when it came to their sense of humor in their core values but aside from that, the differences gave them some healthy space and kept things grounded.
At times, there have been rumors that circulated as to whether Carl Dean actually existed or not. Through all of it, however, they have stayed committed to their privacy.
Parton once explained, “He doesn’t like the attention. He doesn’t want his picture taken or to be part of the public life.”
The love that they shared was something that was a testament to just how strong the bond was between the two of them. It was just where they wanted it to be.
