Kept his best secret. Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, have been married for more than 50 years, but they are rarely seen together - and they love it.
The country icon first met her future life partner when she moved to Nashville to start her music career in 1964. They tied the knot within two years of meeting each other, but as Parton's star rose, Dean kept to himself. Eventually, fans began to wonder if the "Jolene" singer's husband even existed.
"He has no desire to be in show business," the Tennessee native told Playboy in October 1978. "He doesn't want to put his picture on paper. He doesn't want to go out to the supermarket and tell people, 'He's Dolly Parton's husband.'"
Although the Grammy winner - the fourth of 12 children - grew up in a huge family, she and Dean never had children of their own. However, Parton is best known for his Imagination Library charity, which has sent more than 100 million free books to young children since it was founded in 1995.
"God has a plan for everything," the 9 to 5 actress explained during an October 2017 interview with the Today show. "I think maybe it was her plan for me not to have kids so that everyone else's kids could be mine. And they are now."
To hear Parton say this, she and Dean still managed to have a lot of fun as twins over the years. "We drop in our camper or go to our lake house," wrote the music superstar in his 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “We can go on a picnic somewhere, and then decide to stay overnight. Then we'll go to a 'drive up to your room' motel."
In May 2016, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and Dean released a rare statement about his famous wife. "My first thought was, 'I'm going to marry that girl,'" he recalled of his first meeting with Parton. "My second thought was, 'God, she looks good.' And that was the day my life began. I will not do business on this earth in the last 50 years for nothing."
The two also graced the occasion by renewing their vows at a private ceremony in Nashville. Parton said at the time, "If I had to do it all, I'd do it again, and we did." "I'm going to see him kicking and screaming over the next 50 years. Wish us all the best."
Keep scrolling for a look back at Parton and Dean's romance:
1964
A day after graduating from high school, Parton moved from her hometown of Sevierville to Nashville to pursue her singing career. On the same day, she met Dean outside the Vishi Vashi Laundromat. "I guess in the back of my mind I was probably just being a little flirtatious," she recalled in a 1970 interview with The Tennessean. "But mainly I was just friendly because I've always been the kind of person who would speak back and smile."
May 1966
The two tied the knot in a ceremony attended only by Parton, his mother, the dean, the preacher, and his wife. "I like the way he loves me," Parton told Playboy about her husband in 1978.
January 1979
While interviewing Parton for a profile, a Cosmopolitan reporter eventually caught a glimpse of Dean. "Tall and good looking, rather like a young Gregory Peck, he has a way of moving his angular body so that he comes in squares towards you," the article read. "He's a fan of television and nightclub comic Steve Martin."
January 1981
The "Eagle When She Flies" songstress opened up about her relationship with Dean in a candid interview with Playgirl, saying that the pair "never" argue. "Sometimes if we're tired or agitated we'll touch a little," she explained. "We never put ourselves in a situation where we fight back and forth."
May 2016
The Steel Magnolias star and Dean renewed their vows to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, Parton's 1966 wedding dress and Dean's suit were displayed at the Chasing Rainbow Museum in Dollywood.
August 2016
Parton recorded some of her favorite love songs for her 45th studio album, Pure and Simple. She originally wrote and recorded two tracks at the beginning of her marriage to Dean, "Say Forever You'll Be Mine" and "Tomorrow Is Forever".
October 2020
Parton explained that she keeps Dean out of the spotlight because he would "never get a minute's peace" if he goes out with her in public. "He's right about it," she told Entertainment Tonight. "It's just not who he is. He's, like, a quiet, reserved person."
December 2020
During an episode of the "Table Manners with Jesse Ware" podcast, Parton joked that she and her husband are finally tired of each other after nearly 60 years of living together. "I'm sure he's sick of me," she quipped. "My husband and I have been together for 57 years, have been married 54, and I'm sick of him."
July 2021
After joking that she wanted to pose for Playboy again for her 75th birthday, Parton recreated her Playboy cover for Dean's birthday. "My husband always loved the original cover of Playboy, so I was trying to do something to please him," she said in an Instagram video, which featured her wearing ears and a bow. "He still thinks I'm a hot chick after 57 years — and I'm not going to try to talk to him about it."
November 2021
Parton gave fans a rare glimpse of Dean when she posted an old photo of the couple for Thanksgiving. "Happy #Thanksgiving to you and yours by my side," she wrote via Instagram.