ALWAYS LOVE YOU

Dolly Parton pays tribute to her famously reclusive husband on his passing after 58 years of marriage

- SUZANNE WINTROB

The very first day Dolly Parton set foot in Nashville to pursue her dream of becoming a country music star was the day she found true love. Standing outside of the Wishy Washy laundromat, a handsome man named Carl Dean approached and started up a conversation.

“My first thought was, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,’” Carl confessed to Entertainment Tonight in a rare interview after the couple renewed their vows in 2016 to celebrate their silver anniversary. “My second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good-lookin’!’ And that was the day my life began. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth.”

Six decades after that first chat, Dolly, 79, is mourning the loss of the man who spent his lifetime cheering her on from the sidelines.