Dolly Parton Gives Fans Rare Peek Of Husband Carl Dean Amid Health Concerns

Part of the legend of Dolly Parton is her enigmatic husband Carl Dean. Dean’s only been photographed a handful of times in their 55-year marriage. As part of a Playboy surprise, Parton has unveiled a sneaky photo of Dean to the world. Gossip Cop investigates.

Magazine Cover Girl

In 1978, Parton posed for the cover of Playboy. In the run-up to her 75th birthday, rumors began to swirl that Parton would adorn the cover once more. Parton seemed genuinely interested in recreating the iconic photo, yet sadly, it just wasn’t meant to be.

That is, until her husband’s birthday. Dean just celebrated his 79th birthday yesterday, and Parton prepared quite the gift for him. Parton recreated her Playboy shoot, bunny-outfit and all, and presented her husband with the photos in style.

https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1417599293935038464

The video on Twitter is revealing, but not just for the reasons you might expect. Dean’s health and wellness have become a question as of late. Parton famously rejected the Presidential medal of freedom partially because Dean was not feeling well. This stirred up the tabloids.

How’s Dean Doing?

Back in February, the National Enquirer claimed Parton was “keeping a bedside vigil for Carl Dean.” In July, Woman’s Day ran a similar story about Dean slowly dying of Alzheimer’s. Gossip Cop debunked these stories because Dean is too private for this kind of insight to leak out. Any news or photos of Dean would have to come from Parton herself.

Dean’s Head Finally Revealed

In the video Parton posted to Twitter, we can see a still image of the back of Dean’s head for just a few seconds. We can’t overstate how rare this is. We can at least tell that he’s not bedridden like the Enquirer reported, and he must not be in as critical a state as other tabloids say he is. He’s just sitting on his couch receiving a thoughtful gift from his beloved wife.

The video also helpfully debunks a story from May about Parton and Dean’s 55th wedding anniversary being disastrous and somber. Parton and Dean aren’t just together, but there’s obviously still enough passion there for Parton to commission a sexy photo shoot for his benefit. The two are clearly still having fun in year 55.

Any glimpse of Dean, even the top of his head, is noteworthy. He must be better off than tabloids give him credit for, and the marriage is still going strong.