The family of the late Loretta Lynn sent a message of support and love to Dolly Parton this week, after Parton announced that her longtime husband Carl Dean had died on Monday (March 3).

“The entire Lynn family sends out love to Dolly and Carl Dean’s family,” their message reads.

“Theirs is an amazing love story,” it continues, “and we will carry Dolly in our hearts and prayers in the days to come.”

The tribute was one of many messages fans and artists shared with Parton in sympathy over the loss of her husband, who was 82 at the time of his death. Tanya Tucker also shared her memory of meeting the famously-private Dean at the home he and Parton shared.

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Lynn and Parton had a special connection, since they became two of country music’s biggest female stars in the 1960s. They teamed up for several collaborations over the years. In 1993, they joined forces with Tammy Wynette for a collaborative album called Honky Tonk Angels.

When Lynn died in October 2022, Parton remembered her with a tribute that focused on their bond.

“So sorry to hear about my sister, friend Loretta,” Parton reflected at that time. “We’ve been like sisters all the years we’ve been in Nashville and she was a wonderful human being, wonderful talent, had millions of fans and I’m one of them.”

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Parton and Dean were married for just shy of 59 years at the time of his death. She met him outside a laundromat on her very first day in Nashville, and over the course of their long marriage, he cheered her on from the sidelines and even inspired some of her music.