Dolly Parton Shared Her Plans for the Future After Celebrating Her 80th Birthday
Dolly Parton recently celebrated her 80th birthday. She’s spent most of her life in the music industry and, fittingly, celebrated by releasing a new version of a classic song. Parton has taken a step back amid some health issues, but she said she has big plans moving forward. She still feels like she has a lot to accomplish in her career.
Dolly Parton recently celebrated her 80th birthday
Parton’s recent birthday was a milestone, but she’s not taking it as a reason to slow down.
“People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old,’” she told People. “Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started. I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine.”
She said that if she doesn’t think of herself as old, she won’t start to feel that way.
“If you allow yourself to get old, you will,” she said. “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.”
While she joked that not many people would want to celebrate turning 80, she’s looking forward to the future.
“Not that anybody would want to celebrate that, but there is a celebration in the fact that I have done so much in that time and that I’m still doing it,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to be doing tomorrow. Whatever comes, I’ll give it my best.”
She has said she has no plans to retire
Parton continues to work, and she said she has no plans of stopping. She said she has never considered retirement.
“There’s a whole lot to be said for loving your work and having confidence in yourself,” she told People in 2018. “I never once thought of retiring.”
Even if she did take a step back from her career, she said she’d have to find a way to keep busy. In her ideal world, though, she will continue to work until she dies.
“I’d still find a way to work, still find a way to be productive,” she said. “I just hope I fall dead in the middle of a song, hopefully one I wrote, right on stage. That’s the way I go!”
Dolly Parton released new music on her birthday
To celebrate her birthday, Parton released a new version of her 1977 song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” She brought in a group of famous women to join her on the song.
“In celebration of her milestone 80th birthday on January 19, 2026, global superstar Dolly Parton just released a powerful new rendition of her classic hit, ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning’ featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire on the 50th anniversary of writing the song,” read Parton’s website. “Listen now and celebrate a legacy of hope, healing and light.”
