In a 2023 interview with CBS News, Parton spoke about a mindset that shaped every stage of her career. Few celebrities have lived those words as consistently as Dolly Parton .
“I never know what’s next,” she said before joking that her team often tells her, “Your dreams are about to kill us.”
Speaking to PEOPLE in August 2026, she said she was still recovering but remained determined to keep creating. Parton has sold over 160 million records worldwide. Her classics include Jolene, 9 to 5, and I Will Always Love You.
She launched Dollywood, created the Imagination Library literacy program, wrote Broadway musicals and kept her musical talent sharp as she collaborated with younger artists across genres. Parton has also won multiple Grammy Awards and been inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. For nearly six decades, she refused to stay within one role. She became a singer, songwriter, actor, author, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. And, she did all of it while she continued to write music. Even after becoming one of country music’s biggest stars, she kept expanding her creative ambitions. “I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life.
“I’ve dreamed myself into a corner and I still have so many things I want to achieve,” she said. “I just hope I live long enough to do more things,” she once told PEOPLE. And just as she said in her quote, Parton died doing as her organizations, like Imagination Library, continue to educate children of the country.
