Lainey Wilson Shares Marriage Advice She Received from Dolly Parton

If anyone should be giving marriage advice, it's certainly Dolly Parton! The country singer was married to her husband Carl Dean for nearly 59 years, and they were the epitome of the words "'til death do us part."

What Marriage Advice Did Dolly Parton Give Lainey Wilson?

In Lainey Wilson's tribute to Parton on social media following her passing last week, she gave us a little insight into the last conversation she had with the country veteran.

First, she revealed they had a chat just a few weeks before Parton died on Aug. 25. According to Wilson, they talked about the music business and the sacrifices that come with it, but they also discussed marriage and how important their spouses are to them.

"You told me that 'it's all great and stuff that Duck lets you be you, but you better make sure you let Duck by himself, too,'" Wilson types in her message.

Dolly Parton's Husband Carl Was Not a Fan of the Spotlight

Let's face it, being married to a country super star can't be easy and often times it's difficult to understand the lifestyle. It's one of the reasons marriages fall apart in this industry.

Parton's husband made it clear he didn't want to be in the spotlight early on. She recounted a story on Bunnie XO's podcast in 2024 about the first and only time he attended an industry event with her.

It was shortly after the two got married in 1966 and she was receiving her first-ever Songwriter of the Year award at the annual BMI Awards.

"I rented a tux and begged him to go," she explained at the time. "And he did, and oh, he was so uncomfortable the whole night."

After that event, Dean expressed his feelings to Parton.

"He said, 'Look now, I want you to do everything you want to do, and I wish you the best, but don't ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things, because I'm not doing it.' And he never did,'" Parton explained.

The country hitmaker respected her man for the way he felt and, evidently, their relationship dynamic worked.

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean's Marriage

Parton and Dean were married on May 30, 1966, meaning they were just months away from celebrating their 59th anniversary when he passed away on March 3, 2025. He was 82 years old at the time.

The couple met on the very day Parton moved to Nashville to pursue her music dreams. He spotted her at a local laundromat and after a brief conversation, he asked her on a date. The rest is, as they say, is history.

Parton passed away on Aug. 25, 2026 at the age of 80.