Behind her legendary career dolly parton, of the “queen” of country music, “hides” a subtle, but unwavering love story. For over half a century, Parton has uniquely balanced her glamorous career with a calm and stable marriage by his side Carl Dean.

He, who celebrated his 82nd birthday in July, with a conscious choice to stay out of the limelight, also became the inspiration for some of her most iconic songs such as the legendary “Jolene” of 1973 and “Forever Love” of 2016. The secret of their long-lasting happiness lies in their deep devotion and mutual admiration.

“We have a lot of love and respect for each other, and I think the key to it all is that we both have a crazy, twisted sense of humor, so we have a lot of fun,” the star said on the podcast.Dumb Blonde». The couple still live in the same stunning home they bought in 1999 for $400,000 in Brentwood, Nashville.

Their relationship started from a chance meeting in a laundromat in Nashvillewhere Carl commented on her outfit Dollyaccording to Hello!. Two years later their wedding took place with only one guest, Parton’s mother Avi Lee.

Despite Dolly’s worldwide recognition, Carl followed his own path as an entrepreneur. He has attended few of her shows as he “loves living on the farm”.

“He gets nervous when he sees me perform. It’s like seeing your child at a concert. She’s afraid I’m going to screw them up,” Parton said in Ellen DeGeneres.

Although they didn’t have children of their own, Parton found ways to express her care and love, having taken on the role of aunt in her extended family as her godmother. Miley Cyrus and through her charity work. In 2014, she revealed to Billboard that at first she used to be sad, but now that they’re older, they often say to each other that “now that we don’t have kids, we don’t have to worry.”