Dolly Parton Was Particularly Fond Of This Man & it Wasn't Her Husband

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Dolly Parton married Carl Dean at age 20, and the duo has lived through thick and thin as committed partners. 

Parton, who is 75 years old this year, has loved and lost a few people whom she never thought she would have to get used to not having around. 

One of those people is her former manager and close friend, Sandy Gallin, who unfortunately died at age 76 from multiple myeloma. 

Parton and Gallin were each married to the loves of their lives, but their bond was unbreakable. 

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Gallin was born in New York City on May 27, 1940, to middle-class parents. He was also a graduate of Boston University in 1962 before pursuing a career with the General Artists Corporation as an agent. 

In 1970, he left the company and teamed up with his cousin to begin a management company. It was during this time that he crossed paths with Parton. 

He remained her personal manager for about 25 years, along with other incredible musicians such as Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, Cher, Mariah Carey. 

During his lifetime, Gallin co-produced over 20 movies and Broadway plays with Parton. 

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Parton was candid about his gay status, and after dating for five years, he finally married his boyfriend, Bryan Fox in February 2014. 

There was some backlash against him because his husband was 30 years younger than him, but that did not deter the couple. Sadly, a year and a half after their marriage, the duo revealed that they were getting divorced. 

In 1997, Gallin was slammed with a lawsuit by two ex-employees, who alleged that he told them to sleep with men, in order to instigate a relationship with the company. 

Gallin countered the suit by revealing that the employees breached a standing contract, and filed a lawsuit only to cover up their crime. He was never charged with the crime. 

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In one of her books titled “Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics,” Parton noted that she had an unusual likeness for weird people and Gallin definitely fell into that category. 

“Sandy Gallin was the character of the world. He was smart and funny and clever. He was quirky and nuts,” she wrote. 

Despite being surrounded by controversies, he was one of the best things that ever happened to Parton’s career, and that is why the singer adores him. Gallin was an incredible manager who took the time to learns every lyric of every song from the Broadway musical. 

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In 1979, Parton named one of her songs “Sandy’s Song” after her manager, as she wanted him to have something for himself, for everything he had done for her. 

She explained that the song had nothing to do with him, but she planned to give him the proceeds from the song. 

“I just wanted him to have a song because I loved him. It’s a pretty little song with a great melody,” she said. 

In the wake of his death, Parton felt very lonely and wrote in her book that “there are just some spirits you can’t imagine being gone.”