The real story of Dolly Parton’s hit Jolene – and how her husband felt

Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDolly Parton was married to husband Carl for 60 years (PA)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. Parton reflected on how it affected her relationship with Dean during a BBC One Show appearance: “He was a little embarrassed when I wrote the song Jolene because, actually, it wasn’t as serious [as it seems],” she explained. “I was just jealous ‘cause she was a beautiful woman and he was just flirting.”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 fullHow Dolly Parton’s husband Carl Dean inspired her hit song Jolene – and how he felt about itMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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