Dolly Parton is undisputedly one of country music’s most legendary acts, having cemented herself in the genre throughout her decades-long career. In recent years, she’s gone even further into areas other than music, releasing numerous products, writing several books, developing a hotel and more.
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the release of her latest book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, Parton reflected on her vast legacy, sharing that she’s “proud” of what she’s accomplished and has plans to do more.
“People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.’ Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started,” she said. “I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine… [and] I think there’s a lot to be said about age. If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that. That’s not what I’m thinking about.”
Along with being a country star, actress, author and businesswoman, Parton is also a noted philanthropist and has contributed to numerous causes and set up organizations of her own. No matter which of her many projects she’s working on, she always wants to make sure she’s spreading positivity into the world.
“I’m at that point in my life where I just want to be able to do good things that can be carried on,” Parton explained. “I’m proud of my legacy so far, and I hope to just continue to do things that might be of use to other people.”
The Tennessee native’s new book explores her life as a performer, featuring 350 photographs, a list of her lifetime of performances and personal stories. To achieve all that she has, Parton did have to make sacrifices in her personal life, but she told PEOPLE that it was something she decided she was willing to do to achieve her goals.
“You know, I have just been going so fast my whole life,” she reflected. “And I just start thinking, ‘How in the world did I even have a life? How did I even get it done?’ I really realized when I was putting this book together just how much I had sacrificed in my life. I never had children, so at least I didn’t have a guilty feeling. I’m thankful that I got to see my dreams come true.”
She shared a similar message with Entertainment Tonight, revealing that while it was a “sacrifice” not to have children with her late husband, Carl Dean, there were also health reasons involved in that decision.
“I never had children, that’s a sacrifice you make. Although, there were a lot of health reasons for that as well,” she said. “But, I think the fact that I missed time with family and friends, just like my song [“The Sacrifice”], you know, 24/7, 365, but I was willing to make that sacrifice.
You give up time for all the things… really, I don’t 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 life that way, I would not have this book.”
