Most 79-year-olds would probably hang it up after selling more than 100 million records, collecting 11 Grammy Awards, and amassing a net worth of $450 million. But then again, most 79-year-olds aren’t Dolly Parton. Not even the March 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean, was enough to derail the “Jolene” singer, although she has taken a step back on several occasions to tend to her health. Despite being married to Dean for nearly 60 years, the couple never had children of their own. The former Entertainer of the Year opened up about that decision during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight to promote her new book, Star of the Show: My Life On Stage, out Nov. 11.
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Juggling motherhood and a career is no small feat regardless of who you are. For someone like Dolly Parton, who spent the majority of her days recording or on the road, it would prove virtually impossible. That, combined with “a lot of health reasons,” contributed to the country music icon’s decision to remain child-free.
Beyond that, Dolly acknowledged that she also missed out on quality time with family and friends in service of her career.
“Just like my song: ’24/7, 365,’” she said. “But I was willing to make the sacrifice. You give up time for all the things… I don’t really go on vacations. I don’t hardly ever have time for any of that. But I was willing to do it, and so it’s brought me here, and had I not spent that life that way, I would not have this book.”
[RELATED: 3 Times Dolly Parton Boldly Broke the Rules]
Dolly Parton Doesn’t Regret Her Decision
In a November 2020 episode of Apple TV+’s The Oprah Conversation, Dolly Parton said that choosing not to become a parent cleared the way for her multi-decade career.
“Since I had no kids, and my husband was pretty independent, I had freedom,” she said. “So I think a big part of my whole success is the fact that I was free to work.”
Not having kids of her own doesn’t mean that Dolly Parton has lived a life bereft of the joys only children could bring. The “I Will Always Love You” singer launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 to aid childhood literacy efforts in her East Tennessee home country. That program has since expanded nationwide.
“I believed that God didn’t mean for me to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine, so I could do things like Imagination Library because if I hadn’t had the freedom to work, I wouldn’t have done all the things I’ve done,” she said. “I wouldn’t be in a position to do all of the things I’m doing now.”
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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