Dolly Parton had spoken on the simplicity of her relationship months before confirming that her husband Carl Dean had passed away.
Posting to her Instagram story yesterday (March 3) about the passing of her husband, Parton shared that they had spent more than 60 years happily married.
It read: “Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending.
“He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie. ‘Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.’”
But a few months prior to the businessman’s death, Parton explained how she and Dean worked as a couple.
Parton featured on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast back in December when she explained that her and Dean’s relationship had a rather simple dynamic.
She said: “He’s quiet and I’m loud, and we’re fun.
“Oh, he’s hilarious. And I think one of the things that’s made it last so long through the years is that we love each other [and] we respect each other, but we have a lot of fun.”
Parton added that the use of humor helped the pair get through tough moments in their marriage. But as well as this, the pair did their best to avoid fights altogether.
She continued: “Anytime [there’s] too much tension going on, either one of us can find a joke about it to really break the tension, where we don’t let it go so far.
“We never fought back and forth. And I’m glad now that we never did, because once you start that, that becomes a lifetime thing. I’ve seen it with so many people, and I thought, ‘I ain’t ever starting that’.
“I couldn’t bear to think that he’d say something I couldn’t take … because I’m a very sensitive person toward other people and myself.”
She also explained that they would prioritize spending time together despite both leading very busy lives.
Speaking to PEOPLE that same month, Parton said: “I had a day off and I got to spend that whole day with my husband.
“I’ve worked so much that we don’t often have all the long, full days that we used to have when life was not as complicated.
“Anytime I have some time off, that’s always a good day for me and for him, for us to have time off.”