Dolly Parton has been married to her husband, Carl Dean, for 54 years. The country music icon, who got married in 1966, just as her career was taking off, credits their longevity to their friendship, and their ability to do things on their own.
“My husband and I always had a great friendship,” Dolly said as American Idol alum, and newlywed Gabby Barrett interviewed the superstar (via People). “We’re both funny, and we both have a great and warped sense of humor so we’ve always had a good time. He’s pretty much a loner and a homebody, and I’m a gypsy. But when I’m home, I love that. We don’t do the same thing so it gives us different stuff to talk about. He doesn’t get involved in my business, and I don’t in his, so we have our own little world that we create for ourselves.”
Dolly’s husband is rarely in the spotlight, and hardly ever attends events with his famous wife — an arrangement that suits them both just fine.
“I’ve always made jokes that the reason our marriage has lasted so long is because I stay gone,” Dolly said. “Well, there’s a lot of truth in that. We’re not in each other’s face all the time. I think there’s a lot to be said about having some sensible separation because you can’t be with somebody 24/7, 365 and not want to smack their face now and then.”
Dolly is also a successful business woman, both with her music career and her other endeavors, including her Dollywood theme park. She applies what she learned in business to her marriage, which is partly why she says it works so well.
“We’ve never bickered back and forth because I never wanted us to say bad things that we would have to remember,” Dolly said. “We get a little pissy now and then, but we’ll just kind of walk off or go do something else and let that die down. You have to work at anything. Marriage is a business too, and you got to look at it like that. You got to make the right decisions for all the little things that come up.”
Dolly has already done more than most people in music, in any industry, but in many ways, the 74-year-old says she is just getting started.
“I’m touched and honored that I’m still around and that I’m able to still be important in the business,” Dolly told Billboard. “I honestly feel like I’m just getting started. I know that sounds crazy but I really feel like I might have a big music career, record career. Who knows?”
