Dolly Parton would rather “drop dead” on stage than retire.
The 77-year-old country icon has no intention of quitting the music industry or taking time out to relax. The 9 to 5 star, renowned for her dry sense of humour, quipped she hopes to pass away while performing one of her best-loved hits.
“I would never retire,” she told presenter Ken Bruce during an interview on Greatest Hits Radio. “I’ll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday, hopefully, one I’ve written. But anyway, that’s how I hope to go because we don’t have much of a choice in that.”
Dolly prides herself on her work ethic and still loves entertaining fans all over the world. The Jolene singer is gearing up for the release of her forty-ninth album, Rockstar, on 17 November and hopes to remain in good health so she can keep busy.
“As long as I’m able to work, as long as my health is good and my husband is good, the only way that I would ever slow down would be for that reason,” she added. “In the meantime, I’m going to make hay while the sun shines.”
Dolly has previously confirmed that she won’t tour her new album because she doesn’t like to spend too much time away from her 80-year-old husband, Carl Dean. The pair have been married for 55 years.