Dolly Parton Once Joked Her 60-Year Love Story With Carl Dean Was “Wishy-Washy” — Now Her Words Carry a Different Meaning

Long before Dolly Parton became one of country music’s most beloved icons, she was simply a young woman with big dreams — and a chance meeting at a laundromat that would lead to more than six decades of marriage.

Parton and Carl Thomas Dean first met just two days after her high school graduation, shortly after she arrived in Nashville to pursue her music career. She had left home determined to make something of herself, but along the way, she found something she never expected: a lifelong partner.

The couple married in May 1966 and remained together for more than 60 years, even as Parton’s career grew into a global phenomenon.

When PEOPLE interviewed Parton for the first time in 1975, the then-29-year-old singer was already becoming a major name in country music. But amid the discussion of her childhood, ambitions and rise to fame, Parton also offered a playful glimpse into her relationship with the man who preferred to remain far away from the spotlight.

Describing their romance, Parton jokingly told PEOPLE: “And it’s been wishy-washy ever since.”

The lighthearted comment reflected the playful sense of humor Parton often brought to questions about her marriage. Behind the joke, however, was a relationship that would withstand decades of fame, travel and public attention.

Dean deliberately stayed out of the entertainment world, but Parton repeatedly credited him with supporting her ambitions. While she spent much of her life traveling and performing, the couple maintained a private relationship largely separate from her public career.

In 2018, Parton offered another humorous explanation for why their marriage had lasted so long.

“I always say ‘Stay gone!’ and there’s a lot of truth to that,” she told PEOPLE, explaining that she traveled frequently but that the two genuinely enjoyed their time together whenever they were reunited.

Their private approach to marriage became one of the most distinctive parts of their love story. Parton was constantly in the public eye, while Dean rarely appeared beside her at events or sought attention for himself.

That balance lasted for decades.

Dean died on March 3, 2025. Following his death, Parton shared a deeply personal message about the man she had loved for more than 60 years, writing that words could not fully express the love they had shared.

Only days later, she turned that grief into music with the release of “If You Hadn’t Been There,” a tribute to the husband who had quietly remained beside her throughout her extraordinary life.

Then, on Aug. 25, 2026, Parton herself died at age 80.

Her passing came more than a year after Dean’s death, bringing an emotional end to a love story that had begun with two young people meeting at a laundromat in Nashville.

Parton’s family announced her death through her nephew Bryan Seaver, who revealed that the singer had asked him years earlier to make the announcement when the time eventually came.

In remembering Parton, much of the world will celebrate the singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist who left an enormous mark on music and popular culture.

But behind that legendary career was also the woman who met Carl Dean shortly after arriving in Nashville — and who spent more than six decades building a life with the man who never wanted to share her spotlight.

What began with a chance meeting became one of country music’s most enduring love stories.