Carl Dean has recently passed away, leaving his wife, Dolly Parton, in a pangs of sadness. They had been married for over fifty years.
But what is interesting about their wedding is that the pop icon tied the knot with her reclusive husband against the wishes of her then-manager, Fred Foster, who wanted her to delay the nuptials for at least a year.
In a 2016 throwback event, she recalled in front of the media that it was an early period of her career. Monument Records has signed her up—the well-known producer founded the label.
“I actually had just signed with Monument Records and Fred Foster, who was head of the label, he was investing quite a bit of money in me to try to get me started in the business. And he had heard that I was engaged,” the 79-year-old recounted.
“And so he called me in the office and said, ‘I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t get married for at least a year. So I can kind of make sure that I can get a return on my investment, because I want you to be free to work and do whatever you need to do.'”
Dolly, however, did what she thought was best for her and went on to marry Carl. “So that weekend me and Carl went to Ringgold, Ga. and got married so it wouldn’t be in the Tennessee papers,” she recounted.
Carl has been passed away on March 4. She was 82.
