While some people dread getting older, that’s not the case for Dolly Parton. The singer, who’s celebrating her 80th birthday on Jan. 19, told People why the milestone doesn’t scare her.
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“People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old. Well, so what?” Parton remarked. “Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started,”
As for her views on aging overall, Parton told the outlet, “If you allow yourself to get old, you will.”
“I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’” she said. “I ain’t got time to dwell on that. That’s not what I’m thinking about.”
Parton quipped that turning 80 isn’t something “that anybody would want to celebrate,” but noted that “there is a celebration in the fact that I have done so much in that time and that I’m still doing it.”
Going forward, Parton said she plans to take her life one day at a time.
“I don’t know what I’m going to be doing tomorrow,” she admitted. “Whatever comes, I’ll give it my best.”
Dolly Parton Gives Back on Her Birthday
In honor of her big day, Parton teamed up with Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire to record a new rendition of her 1977 song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
“I wrote this song during a season when I was searching for hope, and fifty years later that message still feels just as true,” Parton wrote on Instagram. “As I celebrate my 80th birthday, this new version is my way of using what I’ve been blessed with to shine a little light forward, especially by sharing it with some truly incredible women.”
Parton went on to reveal that all net proceeds from the new song and its accompanying music video will benefit pediatric cancer research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. The singer has long supported the cause.
“With Dolly’s generous support to the pediatric cancer program, we have been able to make advances in the treatment and supportive care for children with cancer and provide care in a positive and welcoming environment,” Debra Friedman, MD, MS, director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, deputy director for VICC and holder of the E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Pediatric Oncology, said in a press release.
“I am so grateful for this new gift. We look forward to the new rendition of ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning’ and working with Dolly to expand on our efforts to improve outcomes for children and their families living with, through and after a diagnosis of cancer,” Friedman added. “Our best wishes to Dolly on her 80th birthday!”
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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