At 79, Dolly Parton Says Age Is Just a Number: ‘I’m Just Getting Started’

At 79, Dolly Parton is opening up about aging and sharing words of wisdom in a way that only she can.

In a new interview with People, released in celebration of her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, the country music icon reflected on her decades-long career and revealed her simple secret to aging gracefully.

“You know, I have just been going so fast my whole life,” Parton told the publication. “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.”

Despite turning 80 next year, the “9 to 5” legend says she’s far from slowing down.

“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 marveled. “I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine . . . 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.”

Instead, she’s focused on her career and her charitable efforts — and at the heart of it all, her goal is to do what she’s always done: stay true to herself.

“I don’t try to tell other people how to do it, how to be, but I know who I am,” Parton explained. “I’m a star to everybody but me. I’m just a working girl. I always just say that I’m a workhorse that looks like a show horse.” 

She continued, “I’m not trying to outdo anybody except me. I just want to be my best self at all times and try to improve every day. It wasn’t about just being rich; it was about being successful at what I love to do. Dreams nor wishes come true without a lot of hard work.”

Dolly Parton stands as one of the most celebrated and influential female singer-songwriters of all time. Over the course of her legendary career, she has earned 11 Grammy Awards and 55 nominations, including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. A true icon across genres, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Beyond music, she’s a bestselling author with titles such as Songteller, Run, Rose, Run (co-written with James Patterson), Behind the Seams, and Good Lookin’ Cookin’. Through her beloved Imagination Library, Parton has donated more than 270 million books to children worldwide, a testament to her lifelong commitment to giving back.