The one that's not Ted Lasso.

I know I’m in the midst of my Ted Lasso era, but this week we have something different. Dolly Parton’s beloved husband, Carl Dean, passed away at the age of 82. They met the first day she arrived in Nashville in 1964 and were married nearly 60 years. Y’all know I love me some Dolly Parton, and I’d be absolutely lying if I said I wasn’t heartbroken.

The world of fame is not populated with many lifetime loves, especially ones that have a little mystery to them. Carl never liked the spotlight and never wanted to be a part of the fame and spotlight, which made him a bit of a mystery to her fans. We never did learn more about him, and they both liked it that way just fine.

So today, kind of rapid-fire style, I wanted to share some quotes and thoughts that were all about Dolly and her great love, Carl Dean.

“My first thought was, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl.’ My second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good lookin’. And that was the day my life began.” – a rare statement from Carl Dean in 2016.

“We got married in a little Baptist church in Ringgold, Georgia. It was just my mom, the preacher, and his wife. We didn’t want any fuss, so we kept it simple and sweet.”

“Carl and I decided to get married because we knew we were meant to be together. We didn’t need a big wedding to prove our love. We just wanted to be together and start our life as husband and wife.”

“We have a great relationship. We have a lot of respect and admiration for each other. We both have a great sense of humor. We laugh a lot, and we enjoy each other’s company. We don’t try to change each other. We just accept each other for who we are.”

Dolly explained that the hit song “Jolene” was inspired by a bank teller who developed a crush on Carl, who seemed to be enjoying the attention. It became a running joke between them, with Dolly remarking “Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.”

And I’ll close with this one. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years”. If the woman who’s written thousands of songs about love is without words, I can only imagine the depth of that love and of her heartbreak.

Love like Dolly. Without limits.