Dolly Parton’s late husband, Carl Dean, was not seen in public for the final five years of his life.
Dean, who died Monday in Nashville at age 82, was last photographed publicly on a rare outing in Brentwood, Tennessee back in December 2019.
The ultra-private businessman left a local post office with his assistant and got into the passenger side of a white SUV at the time.
The then-77-year-old was near his and Parton’s home in Brentwood during the outing, which marked Dean’s first public appearance in 40 years.
Parton, 79, met her husband at a Wishy Washy Laundromat in Nashville at 18.
They got married two years later, on May 30, 1966. The couple never had children because Parton enjoyed her “freedom” and was focused on her career.
Dean, who inspired Parton’s hit song “Jolene,” stayed out of the spotlight during the nearly 60 years that they were married.
“He’s sort of shy and quiet,” Parton told PEOPLE in 1977.
“What we have together is so sweet and good that I’d never want it to get jumbled up with the other,” Parton added of keeping their marriage separate from her work life.
In 1982, Parton said of Dean, “He likes his freedom. If I call him, that’s fine, he ain’t expectin’ it. He doesn’t like me home for long because it interferes with his tradin’. So we never really have any hold on each other. And yet we have the ultimate hold.”
Over 30 years later, Dean made an exception to his private life when he gave an interview to Entertainment Tonight about Parton.
“My first thought was ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good looking.’ And that was the day my life began,” he said in 2016 of meeting Parton.
“I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth,” he added.
Parton announced her husband’s passing on Instagram on Monday.
“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3 in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie,” the post stated.
In her own words, Parton said, “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. The family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”
