Dolly Parton Reportedly Planning Career Break to Care For Husband
The country music legend might step aside for a noble reason.
Dolly Parton could reportedly place her career on hold soon for quite the touching reason. According to The Blast, The country music icon is making plans to remain home to support her family and help care for her husband Carl Dean. There's little doubt it is a tough decision for the perpetually busy country icon. But Parton has never wavered from her decision to care for Dean after his health started declining.
Dean has reportedly been battling Alzheimer's, after he was diagnosed with the illness back in 2019. Parton and Dean have always had a healthy private life and the star's husband typically stays away from the spotlight. But you don't stay together for 60 years because you simply put up with your partner.
Citing a report by Radar and National Enquirer, an insider is claiming Parton will step back to aid in her husband's care as his condition worsens. "Dolly has long been a fixture on the touring circuit, but as her husband's health takes precedence, she has chosen to take a step back from the stage to focus on what matters most – family," the source claims. "She wants to make sure they enjoy every last minute they have together."
Obviously, the report should be taken with a hefty grain of salt until Parton or her team releases an official statement. That said, it isn't a stretch to believe the country icon would make a decision to care for her husband over touring. She also has little left to prove to anybody within her career.
Parton and Dean were married in 1966 when Parton was 20 and Dean was 23, with their marriage lasting close to six decades at this point. The 2019 diagnosis was one of the few hiccups the couple has faced, and Parton already made an early decision to limit her touring and scale back any nominations. She cited that her choice was influenced mostly by wanting to stay "a little closer to home" with Dean.
Parton expanded on her decision in a later interview. "We're getting older now, and I don't want to be gone for four or five weeks at a time. Something could happen," Parton said. "I would not feel right about that if I were gone and somebody needed me. Or I would feel bad if I had to leave a tour if somebody got sick at home and needed me and then I had to walk out on the fans."
Dean reportedly relies on Parton and her staff more these days, and the couple isn't as physical as they were in their younger days. For Parton, though, she claims it is still better than the alternative. Could we see a passing of the torch to Beyonce in the near future? The country music legend praised the Renaissance icon for her entry into the country music chart.