The Reason Dolly Parton and Her Late Husband Carl Dean Chose Not to Have Children

Dolly Parton expresses no regrets regarding the unique family life she created with her husband, Carl Dean.

“When my husband and I first got married, we speculated about what our children would be like,” Parton, 79, revealed in an interview with The Guardian in December 2014. “Would they inherit his height, or would they be short like me? We had a name picked out for a daughter: Carla. We envisioned it and dreamed about it, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Now that we’re older, we feel grateful.”

Rather than having children, Parton has channeled her nurturing instincts into helping countless children globally throughout her career.

In 1995, the “9 to 5” artist initiated the Imagination Library, a program that provides free, high-quality books to children from birth up to age 5, regardless of their family’s financial status.

“God has a plan for everything,” Parton mentioned on the Today show in October 2017, following the release of her first children’s album, I Believe In You. “I believe it was part of His plan for me not to have kids, so I could nurture everyone else’s. And they are mine now.”

Parton and Dean were married for nearly six decades before his death, confirmed on Monday, March 3. The cause of his death has not been disclosed, and he was 82 years old.

Throughout her marriage, Parton praised Dean for his strong sense of independence, which allowed her to flourish in her career while being in the limelight.

“A significant part of my success is due to the freedom I had to work,” she stated during a November 2020 episode of Apple TV+’s The Oprah Conversation. “Without that freedom, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have. I wouldn’t be able to pursue all the endeavors I’m currently involved in.”

While there was a time when Parton envisioned children as part of her future with Dean, her struggle with endometriosis complicated her path to parenthood.

As per the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is a painful condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining develops outside the uterus, resulting in pain, irregular menstrual cycles, and infertility.

Despite her health challenges, Parton affirmed before her husband’s passing that they lived a life without regrets.

“I’m very connected to my family — five of my younger siblings lived with Carl and me for many years — and we share a strong bond with our nieces and nephews,” she shared with Billboard in October 2014. “Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, ‘Aren’t you glad we didn’t have kids? We no longer have that worry.’”