EXCLUSIVE: How Dolly Parton Took Comfort in 'Little Pleasures of Life' With Her Dementia-Addled Husband Carl Dean — 'She Cooked Him Meals in Her Luxury RV… Which Was of Course Filled With $200K of her Bleach-Blonde Wigs'
Parton's RV features all the comforts of home..
March 4 2025, Published 1:07 p.m. ET
Dolly Parton lives a simple life, RadarOnline.com can reveal, so expect her to provide a similar afterlife to her reclusive husband Carl Dean, who passed away on Monday.
The country music legend has few indulgences - outside of her pricey collection of blonde wigs.
Parton and Dean were together for 60 years and married for 58 years.
Parton, 79, is mourning the loss of Dean. The two were married for nearly 60 years before his death at age 82.
According to those closest to her, while Parton is said to be worth a stunning $600million, she treasured the chance to greet her husband each morning with a homecooked meal.
A friend said: "It may be sausage, biscuits and gravy, it may be just cereal and fruit, but with all she’s done and all she’s accomplished in her career, she feels most grounded when she can be the housewife."
Parton put her "Home on Wheels" on display in her Dollywood theme park.
Parton and Dean lived in a relatively humble home outside Nashville, which she and Carl purchased in 1999.
The expansive wooded property has a 3,324-square-foot main house surrounded by several smaller buildings – including a chapel that the 9 to 5 singer visits every morning.
The friend revealed: "Dolly is an early riser, and she goes to a prayer chapel on their estate to meditate and, if the muse strikes her, pen some lyrics for songs."
The RV features a section dedicated to all of her wigs.
She does splurge a bit when she and Dean vacation in their $200,000 RV. The mobile home is packed with all the comforts of home, including designer throw pillows and a guitar ready for strumming.
There's even a corner inside the RV dedicated to her famous blond wigs – all in different sizes and styles. Parton once boasted: "I wear one almost every day, so I must have at least 365."
She also defended the price tag of her custom home away from home, saying: "I like to get down to it. I guess that’s because I grew up on tour buses. We’ll go from east Tennessee — the mountains — to west Tennessee, which is flat as a board. They play to different moods, and we love them both."
But when the RV is not available, don't expect Parton to seek out the local Four Seasons. As she has said: "We like staying in cheap hotels — heck, if I can sneak into a Days Inn, I’m there.
"You don’t need to be fancy to travel well. You just need to be curious and willing."
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That laid-back lifestyle was a constant part of the loving couples lives. Parton called restaurants like Cracker Barrel and Taco Bell her favorite guilty pleasures.
And she has been known to pop up at her local Walmart looking for a deal in the middle of the night, when the foot traffic is low.
Parton confessed she doesn't like to be recognized in those situations: "If I go anywhere, I go in full disguise. I’m afraid somebody will say, 'Oh, did you see Dolly? She looked like hell.'"
