Dolly Parton’s long marriage to Carl Dean is remembered as a largely private relationship that contrasted with her global fame. According to the article, Parton died aged 80 following a brief battle with cancer, less than 18 months after Dean’s death, prompting family tributes describing their reunion.

The couple met at Nashville’s Wishy Washy Laundromat in 1964, when Parton was 18 and Dean was 21, and married privately in Georgia two years later. They remained married for nearly 60 years; Dean ran an asphalt-paving business, avoided publicity and supported Parton’s career, while their wedding was attended principally by Parton’s mother.