Successful songwriter, celebrated singer, pop culture icon – it’s no wonder Dolly Parton is often called the Queen of Country. Her path to stardom began back in 1956 and she’s still at it over six decades later. But today, 77-year-old Parton says she still has no plans of retiring, and instead wants to just go out in the middle of a song.
With 50 Grammy Award nominations to her name – 11 of which have been wins – Parton could certainly walk away right now felling proud. This Country Music Hall of Famer has also been named the CMA‘s Entertainer of the Year, and has the distinct honor of being nominated for an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony – the EGOT of nominations. Yet Parton still wants to keep on trucking along. What’s her vision of the future?
Dolly Parton discusses her plans for retiring – or lack thereof
While speaking with Greatest Hits Radio’s Ken Bruce, Parton found herself discussing retiring and the sense of duty that keeps her from turning the page on this phase of her life.
RELATED: The Unstoppable Dolly Parton Finally Shares What Her Real Hair Looks Like
“I always believed that if you wanted your dreams to come true and you are lucky enough to have that happen, then you’ve got to be responsible because you got to keep the dream alive—and every dream kind of spawns another dream,” she shared. “You can branch off of almost anything that happens and make a business out of that, as well. It’s kind of like a tree with good roots, and it’s got a lot of limbs, and it’s also got a lot of leaves, so why not make the most of it?”
Balancing longevity with quality
In the part, Parton has discussed how long she wants to live; she has said she’s fine not living as long as Betty White, but she does want to live as well as she did, full of an infectious restlessness and enthusiasm. The same holds for her music career.
“I’m not one to sit around doing nothing,” said Parton. “I would never retire; I’ll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday—hopefully, one I’ve written. But anyhow, that’s how I hope to go. Of course, we don’t have much of a choice in that, but as long as I’m able to work, as long as my health is good and my husband is good, I mean, the only way that I would ever slow down or stop would be for that reason.”
Parton has specified, though, that she may not engage in an intense touring schedule ever again, but she is very open to one-off weekend concerts. Thankfully, with Parton having no plans of retiring, it looks like the Queen of Country will be gracing fans with her upbeat presence for a long time still.
