Dolly Parton’s sister shares private heartbreak in icon’s marriage to Carl Dean

Dolly Parton kept many details of her life private, especially her nearly six-decade marriage with late husband Carl Dean and the heartbreak she bore when he died.

In a CBS Mornings interview aired Sept. 10, her sister Stella Parton described their marriage as a "sweet, private romance."

The country music legend died on Aug. 25 at 80 following a brief battle with cancer, and Dean died in March 2025 at 82. His cause of death has never been publicly released.

"I know their relationship was very unique and very deep and loyal. And I think it broke her heart to see him in the shape he, you know, got to before he passed away," Stella told Gayle King.

King asked if her sister died of a "broken heart," to which Stella denied.

"But I don’t think that’s what made her sick. I think my sister worked so hard for so long and just kept going. You know, even in my last conversation with her, she was working. That was her passion," Stella said.

She added that Dean loved the "9 to 5" singer "enough to let her be what she was," even though he largely avoided the spotlight himself.

"He…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/entertainment/