Carl Dean's Estate Now Handled by His Niece: Dolly Parton Had Been Named Executor in His Will
The estate of Carl Dean, the late husband of country music legend Dolly Parton, is now being handled by Dean's niece, Dea Chaffin Cunningham Williams, who was named petitioner of the estate in early October, according to Williamson County court records obtained by USA TODAY and first reported by TMZ on October 20.
Under Dean's will, Parton herself was named executor, with Williams designated as backup. Dean died in March 2025 at 82. Parton had not completed administering his estate before her own death on August 25 of this year, at age 80, which her family announced at the time. According to a July status report, some of Dean's assets had already been distributed prior to Parton's death.
Dean's 2013 will provides that if Parton did not survive him or declined certain property, that property would be divided between five of Dean's nieces and nephews and 14 of Parton's nieces and nephews, with the remainder of the estate directed to the Carl Thomas Dean Trust. Parton and Dean were married for nearly 60 years and had no children.
In a CBS Mornings interview aired September 10, Parton's sister Stella Parton described the couple's marriage as "very unique and very deep and loyal," adding that her sister was still working at their last conversation: "That was her passion."
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Dolly Parton（2022年资料图）。Peabody Awards 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Dolly Parton (file photo, 2022), by Peabody Awards, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
