Dolly Parton pays tribute to husband of 60 years Carl Dean after his death aged 82

The two of them met in the state capital, which is synonymous with country music, in 1964, when Parton was only 18, beginning a whirlwind romance that saw them married just two years later.

In a statement shared to social media, Parton said: "Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy."

Dean has been so seldom seen over the years that some have questioned whether he truly exists, with Parton flatly dismissing the rumour and added, in 2008, that her hit song Jolene was inspired by a bank teller with a crush on him.

"He just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention," she said (via BBC News). "It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money'.

"So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one."

In recent years, Parton has explained Dean's choice to step back from her glamorous lifestyle, with a 1967 Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) event being the first and last public event he agreed to attend.

"He loves music, but he's not the least bit interested in being in it – and he told me that right up front," she recalled.

"He said, 'Look, now I want you to do everything you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don't ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain't going'. And he never did."

In 2022, Parton said that she and Dean having entirely separate careers and "space" from each other had actually made their relationship stronger, adding "we have the things we love to do together... So it was meant to be, I think".

Dean and Parton never had any children together, but he is survived by his two siblings, Sandra and Donnie.

The family has asked for privacy while they grieve.

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