Dolly Parton is known to be one of the most iconic singers in the music industry. Dolly had accomplished a lot of achievements throughout her career and she was very open to her fans but the one thing she kept to herself was her marriage and she kept it private.
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After so many years, Dolly started revealing her secret struggles – especially the one she endured during her marriage. The things she revealed shocked a lot of fans who had no idea what she had been going through all this time.
Mysterious marriage
Dolly and her husband, Carl Dean, have been married for more than 50 years. Reaching that half-a-century mark is quite an achievement! But reaching that milestone was not that easy. Like most marriages, Dolly and Carl have gone through their own storms.
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Dolly is rarely seen with her husband, Carl Dean, in public. In her book, Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton, Dolly shared several surprising revelations about her mysterious but long-lasting marriage.
How they met
Dolly and Carl met each other before she was a big star. After graduating from high school, Dolly moved to Nashville to pursue her music career. The very day she moved in, she was approached by Carl while she was doing her laundry at the Wishy Washy laundromat.
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Carl approached her saying something about the Texas heat. he was concerned that she would get her creamy skin getting sunburned in her revealing outfit. Dolly looked up to see a tall and handsome man and the rest was history.
His version of the story
Carl also shared his story about their first meeting in a statement he released on one of their wedding anniversaries. He recalled that he was driving past the laundromat in his pickup truck when he saw Dolly go in. He was attracted immediately to her.
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“My first thought was I’m gonna marry that girl. My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin’. And that was the day my life began.” Carl just knew that he had to meet her and fortunately, he had the guts to stop his car and go in to do just that.
True attraction
Dolly was charmed by Carl. She was used to men hitting on her but she noticed that Carl had his eyes fixed on hers the whole time. This surprised and delighted Dolly who usually caught men looking at her body more than her face.
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While they chatted, Dolly never caught Carl looking at her body. This made her feel that he was genuinely interested in getting to know her as a person. She knew that this could easily turn into a real thing. They have been dating ever since.
Engaged and happy
When they first met, Dolly was only 18 and Carl was 21. Some would call it puppy love but the young lovers were inseparable ever since. Just as her love life blossomed, Dolly’s career started to pick up. Dolly signed with her first label in just a few months.
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At that time, Dolly and Carl already had plans to marry soon. Carl’s parents in particular were very excited about it since their only daughter decided to elope. It was the only chance they get to throw a big wedding party. Dolly’s parents were overjoyed as well.
They wanted her to postpone the wedding
But the record label wanted Dolly to make a sacrifice. They reminded her that she was on the verge of releasing her debut album. The executives at her record label did not want her to be distracted by wedding preparations.
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They asked Dolly if she could postpone her wedding for a year. Dolly was aware that the executives at her label had invested money in her and her career but she could not bear the thought of postponing the wedding.
They could not wait
Eager to tie the knot now more than ever, Carl and Dolly decided to have a secret wedding. It felt like a now-or-never moment for them. At that time, it was Memorial Day in 1966 and the couple have been together for two years.
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Dolly’s mother made her a little white dress and a small bouquet. They went to a little Baptist church in town. She asked Pastor Don Duvall to marry her and Carl. They even got pictures on the steps outside of the church.
She wanted her career badly
It was not the huge and grand wedding that Dolly and Carl had planned but the two were happy. And when Dolly launched her debut album, things started happening so fast for Dolly – she was an instant star.
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Dolly had everything she wanted. But she never thought there would be a problem with how her husband felt about her career. And coming from a poor family, there was no way that she could turn her back on the chance to live a better life.
He did not want to be in the spotlight
It started shortly after their marriage, Carl escorted Dolly to a red carpet event. On the way home, Carl told her, “Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I’m happy for you, but don’t you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again.”
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The two had a discussion. It seemed like Carl did not like being in the spotlight. He made it clear that he supports her career but he prefers to stay out of it. This did not surprise Dolly since Carl was an introvert who preferred to keep to himself most of the time.
She toured and he stayed at home
Dolly became a regular on The Porter Wagoner Show. At that time, her marriage was going well just as was her career. Dolly started touring all over the country and Carl was content staying home in Tennessee, starting a road paving business.
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Dolly had told Carl from the start that she will never be content as a homemaker and it was something that Carl accepted. He liked the simple, country life so he was content to be the one to stay at home in their marriage.
Behind-the-scenes husband
All throughout Dolly’s career, Carl kept a very low profile and was rarely photographed with Dolly. But Dolly and her sister Stella have always been vocal about the fact that Carl was supportive and that he was always there behind the scenes.
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One time, Dolly was doing a concert at a rodeo she sang Carl’s favorite song, “Higher and Higher.” Dolly spotted Carl on stage singing with her backup vocalists. As a joke, she alerted security who tried to remove Carl until they realized who he was.
Saved by the bulldog
While all seems well between Carl and Dolly, there was a time when their marriage became a struggle. It was in the early 1980s when Dolly revealed that she had an emotional affair with another man. It made her so guilty she considered ending her life.
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Dolly already had the gun when she heard Popeye, her little French bulldog, come into the room. “The tap-tap-tap of his paws jolted me back to reality I suddenly froze. I put the gun down. Then I prayed. I kinda believe Popeye was a spiritual messenger from God.”
Affair rumors
Famous men that had been linked to Dolly included Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Kenny Rogers, and Billy Ray Cyrus. With all of these rumors swirling around, people assumed that Dolly and Carl are in an open relationship.
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Dolly set the rumors on fire when she said “He seems to know that I’ll be back, and that love affairs and relationships are just part of my dealings with people.” But she later clarified that she meant flirting and not true affairs.
Marital spats and jealousy
As the years passed, news came out that Dolly may have had an affair with someone who was in her close circle in the early 1990s. According to a report published in the Daily Mail, Carl had been angry about it since the said affair was rumored to be going on for 6 years.
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There was also a time when Dolly got jealous over the attention Carl got from a leggy red-headed teller who had an obvious crush on him. Dolly would tease him about going to the bank often and it became the inspiration for one of her hit songs, “Jolene.”
A special assistant
Aside from all the men she had been linked to, Dolly was also linked to one woman. Given the demands of her career, Dolly relies on a trusted assistant – Judy Ogle. Judy has been a close friend since they were kids.
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But their closeness made other people suspect that they have had an affair – especially when it was revealed that they often slept in the same bed. “Why scream across the room when you don’t have to?” Dolly explained.
They never had kids
Dolly and Carl never had kids of their own. But it was not really from a lack of trying. The truth is, in the 1980s, Dolly had to undergo a partial hysterectomy – which affected her ability to bear children.
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The reality that they will no longer have the chance to have children of their own was a dark time in their marriage. But Dolly opened up that it was their belief and faith in God that helped her and Carl deal with the storm.
Opposite attracts
One of the things that kept their marriage alive for more than 50 years is the fact that they were complete opposites and that they accepted that about each other. Dolly has a very loud personality while Carl was shy and reserved.
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Dolly has often shared how Carl disliked the fame. “My husband is a loner,” she explained of Dean. “He doesn’t particularly care about being around anybody but me. He’s just always asked me to leave him out of all this. He does not like all the hullabaloo.”
The time apart made them appreciate each other more
Dolly was asked in an interview how they kept the spark alive after all this time. “I always joke and laugh when people ask me what’s the key to my long marriage and lasting love. I always say ‘Stay gone!’ and there’s a lot of truth to that.”
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All the time Dolly spent apart from Carl made them appreciate the quiet moments they had together more. The secret to their marriage was all the time they spent apart. Carl had chosen to stay out of the spotlight and it turned out to be all for the best.
An inspiring love
To this day, Dolly is still working hard and is in demand wherever she goes. She may show no signs of stopping soon despite her age but she did say that there was one thing that can slow her down. And that would be Carl.
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In her book, Dolly fondly says, “If my husband needed me, I would put him first. I’ve always put myself first and my career first, but if something were to happen to him, I would pull back on that.” Indeed, Dolly and Carl’s love is one for the books!