
- Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 and will be laid to rest alongside her late husband Carl Dean in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Parton and Dean were married in 1966 after meeting on her first day in Nashville, remaining together for over 60 years until Dean died in March 2025 aged 82.
- Dean served as the inspiration for several of Parton's works, most famously her signature song Jolene, which was loosely based on a flirtatious bank teller.
- Throughout her career, the couple kept their relationship strictly private, giving rise to persistent rumours over the decades that her husband did not exist.
- Parton's 2023 album Rockstar was also inspired by Dean, featuring covers of his favourite songs prior to her passing.
IN FULL




