Carl Thomas Dean, the ultra-private husband of country music legend Dolly Parton, passed away at 82.

Parton shared the heartbreaking news on March 3, revealing that Dean had passed away in Nashville. While the exact cause of death was not immediately disclosed, the country star expressed her deep sorrow over losing the man who had been by her side for nearly six decades.

“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,” Parton wrote in a statement on social media.

The family has requested privacy during this difficult time, and Dean will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with close family members in attendance.

A Love Story That Defied the Spotlight

Carl Dean was not a man who sought attention. Despite being married to one of the most famous women in the world, he stayed out of the public eye, rarely attending events and almost never giving interviews.

Born in 1942 in Nashville, Dean met Parton in 1964 outside a local laundromat. At the time, Dolly was just 18 years old and had recently moved to Music City to chase her dreams. Their meeting was pure happenstance, but as Parton later recalled, it was love at first sight for Dean.

“I was just walking down the street when he hollered at me,” she once shared. “Being from the country, I spoke to everybody. And he came over and, well, it was Carl, my husband.”

Dean immediately pursued her, visiting her every day that week. Not long after, he took her home to meet his parents. Two years later, on May 30, 1966, they married in a small, intimate ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia—a town known for quick weddings.

For the next nearly 60 years, their love remained steady and private, a rarity in the entertainment industry.

A Supportive Husband Who Stayed Behind the Scenes

While Dolly Parton became a household name, dominating the charts with hits like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You,” Dean preferred to keep a low profile. He ran an asphalt paving business, avoided the glitz of Hollywood, and never sought fame.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t his wife’s biggest supporter. Parton always made it clear that while her husband wasn’t in the spotlight, he was her rock behind the scenes.

“He’s always supporting me as long as I don’t try to drag him in on it,” she told PEOPLE in 2019. “He’s always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he’s at home.”