As rumors swirled online claiming Dolly Parton was on her deathbed — which she swiftly shut down with a video message — fans have shifted their focus to something her late husband actually left behind.
Parton, 79, maybe alive and well, but she had to cancel a show due to a sudden illness, and the spotlight on her health turned the conversation to her late husband, Carl Dean, who passed away on March 3 at age 82. They were married 58 years.
Inside the Will
When a renewed interest into Dean’s life, the Daily Express reported that he spent nearly six decades married to Parton.
She is one of the most recognizable names in country music, whose net worth is $450 million, according to Forbes.
Dean was far removed from the celebrity spotlight his wife has. Instead he lived a quieter life as the owner of a small Nashville-based business called The Asphalt Paving Company, as self explanatory as it sounds in the 1970s.
His private and normal life in Nashville is what led him to Parton as the two met at a laundromat in the 1964 and soon afterward got married in 1966 in Ringgold, Georgia, The New York Times reported.
Dean did have a will, signed in 2013 and it named Parton the sole beneficiary of the Carl Thomas Dean Trust that comprised his estate, according to a filing by Parton obtained by Us Weekly.
Dean did not own any real estate in Tennessee or have a controlling interest in any businesses despite being the founder of his own asphalt company. But, according to the filing, Parton will inherit all of his right, title, and interest in any personal effects relating to her music and entertainment career, including pictures, costumes, jewelry, musical instruments and equipment. There is also furniture, art, automobiles, and other items.
Us also reported that Dean stated in his will he would leave a handwritten note that detailed who would receive his personal and household property. However, if this list was not found, Parton, who asked the court to be named the executor of the estate, would be made responsible for distributing the items to his five nieces and nephews and her 14.
In her heartfelt Instagram post announcing his death, Parton wrote, “Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He is survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie. Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.”
In 2016, the celebrate renewed their 50th wedding anniversary. They were one of Hollywood’s longstanding married couples.
