Legendary music icon Dolly Parton had the internet twitterpated when she posted a throwback photo of her and her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, on an Instagram post on Tuesday.
The reason for the excitement is because the "9 to 5" singer and Dean are rarely seen together publicly, and she has been respecting his preference for staying out of the public eye.
The lovebirds have been married for 55 years.
So what's the secret to their everlasting love?
"Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!" she wrote in the post's caption.
In a clever merchandise marketing ploy, she even superimposed an image of her T-shirt onto his body in the photo.
But the graphic tee was probably the last thing social media users noticed from the post.
They were crushing on the younger heartthrob with so much ardor you could almost see heart emojis in the eyes of fans.
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
Some users couldn't get over the initial shock of seeing Carl Dean on the internet.
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
@dollyparton/Instagram
Parton, who dusted off her Playboy outfit this summer to surprise Dean with a photoshoot for his 79th birthday, told Parade how she was not looking for love when the two met at a laundromat in 1964.
She was 18 at the time.
"I had left two boyfriends at home and the last thing I wanted was a man," recalled the singer.
But fate had other plans.
"I came to Nashville to work on my music. Wouldn't you know I met him the very first day?"
"It was as if God said: This is the man that's going to love and understand you."
On May 6, 2016, she announced they would renew their vows in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.
"We're really very proud of our marriage. It's the first for both of us. And the last," she said of their union in 2011.
Sigh.
Relationship goals, amirite?
@petebuttigieg.bsky.social
