Dolly Gets Real About Her Relationship With Husband Carl Dean: ‘We Were Different People’
The ‘Jolene’ singer went on Khloé Kardashian's podcast to talk life, new music and her marriage
Country music superstar Dolly Parton recently appeared on Khloé Kardashian’s podcast Khloé in Wonderland to share some new details on her marriage to Carl Thomas Dean, who died this past March. From why they kept their relationship out of the spotlight, to how his death impacted Parton’s music career, the “Jolene” singer shared it all. Keep reading to discover exactly what she had to say.
Dolly Parton on why she kept her marriage private
Parton and Dean got married in 1966, right when her music career was beginning to take off. And while most celebrity couples choose to walk red carpets and gush about each other in the press, those two didn’t and instead opted to keep their private life private.
“When I was early on, when I first got here, I won the song of the year and I won a BMI [Broadcast Music, Inc.] Award in 1966, that’s the year that we got married,” Parton said on Kardashian’s podcast, which aired on Wednesday, July 9. “He rented a tuxedo, didn’t want to do it, I begged him to go.”
Following that, Parton said that Dean took off his jacket and tie, and said he didn’t want to go with her to receive the award.
“He said, ‘Now I want you to do great, but don’t you ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going,’” Patron elaborated. “And he never did. I knew right then that I’m just going to keep him private as best I can [and] never ask him to do nothing. And certainly he’s not going to volunteer.”
Now, just because Dean didn’t want to go to the award show with Parton doesn’t mean that he didn’t love and support her career. In fact, the “9 to 5” singer shared with Kardashian that Dean was “very proud” of her, and that at the end of the day, their differences are what kept them together.
“We were so good for each other because he’s a total loner. But we could just be in the house all day and say two or three words; it didn’t matter. Or we could talk all afternoon,” Parton said. “We were different people. He was not involved in the music business at all. … But he was a loner. He did not want a bunch of people around him except me.
“We were just different, but we were so similar. Like we were perfect. … Just so many things we were compatible at,” she continued. “We just got along great.”
Dolly Parton gives on update on her new music
Since the beginning of her career, Parton has released dozens of albums and songs. However, that has since been put on pause due to her husband’s death.
“[There are] several things I have wanted to start, but I can’t do it,” the singer told Kardashian. ““I will later. I’m just coming up with such wonderful beautiful ideas, but I think I won’t finish it. I can’t do it right now, because I got so many other things.”
She also shared that one of the reasons she struggles to write new music is because she “can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now.”
“There are times like that, things like that, that will stall you a little bit. But I’ll write something else though, if it comes,” she continued. “I’m just putting that all on hold.”
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