Dolly Parton has explained that her 1973 hit "Jolene" was inspired by her husband Carl Thomas Dean, who has died at age 82.

She wrote the hit 1973 song after a bank teller caught the eye of Dean, who died on Monday. She attributed its success to its simplicity and the universal emotions it evokes.

Dolly Parton's husband Carl Thomas Dean ... Parton appeared on the album in an interlude prior to the "Jolene" cover, saying, "You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about?

Dolly Parton's hit song "Jolene" was inspired by a real woman who was flirting with her husband after they first got married. Parton reacted to the cover at the time by writing on Instagram ...

Despite keeping their relationship out of the limelight, Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Thomas Dean were together for 60 ...

Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s devoted husband of nearly 60 years who avoided the spotlight and inspired her timeless hit “Jolene, ...

Simplicity is key to the song’s appeal. “It’s just the same word over and over,” Parton told NPR. “Even a first-grader or a baby can sing, 'Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene'. It's like, how hard can ...