Mr. Dean, who inspired songs including “Jolene” and “From Here to the Moon and Back,” was known to shy away from the spotlight as his wife rose to fame.

Journalist Alanna Nash recounted her visit to Parton's Nashville home in 1977 Dolly Parton may have been one of pop culture’s most famous faces, but details of her private life at home with husband Carl Dean have always been something of a mystery.