Dolly Parton Reveals She and Late Husband Carl Dean Had Picked a Name for a Daughter
The singer disclosed that she and her husband, who died in March 2025, had once chosen the name Carla for a baby girl they never had.
Country music icon Dolly Parton said that she and her husband, Carl Dean, had selected a name for a daughter they never ended up having. In an interview with The Guardian, Parton explained that the couple would have called a girl "Carla" if they had become parents. Dean, who passed away on March 3, 2025, at age 82, had long avoided public attention, and the pair remained childless throughout their nearly six-decade marriage.
Parton, who has won 10 Grammy Awards and numerous other honors, has spoken publicly about the couple’s decision not to have children. She told Billboard that she once thought she might regret not having kids, but later concluded that "God didn't mean for me to have kids so everybody's kids could be mine." She added that the absence of children allowed the couple to focus on each other and their shared life on the road and at home.
The couple married in 1966 after a brief courtship in Nashville and kept their relationship largely private. Dean rarely appeared at public events, preferring a quiet life away from the spotlight. Parton has said that Dean supported her career while maintaining his own low-profile lifestyle, and she continues to cherish simple gestures such as receiving daffodil bouquets and poems from him.
The revelation about the name "Carla" comes as part of Parton's broader reflections on her marriage, which she celebrated with a vow renewal on their 50th anniversary. The singer has often highlighted the longevity of her partnership, attributing it to mutual respect and a shared preference for privacy.