‘I Ain’t Got Time to Get Old’ (Exclusive)

Here she comes again!

With the release of her new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, Dolly Parton spoke with PEOPLE to discuss her seven-decade career, what she’s learned — and what’s next.

“You know, I have just been going so fast my whole life,” Parton, 79, says. “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.”

For more on Dolly Parton, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Parton was forced to slow down this fall: Nearly two months after sitting with PEOPLE, she postponed a string of concerts because of “health challenges” following a kidney-stone-related infection. But she’s facing the next decade with her trademark sense of humor and tenacity.

“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 says. “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 reflecting on how far she’s come — and the decisions that shaped her groundbreaking career. Inheriting her tobacco farmer father Robert’s work ethic and her homemaker mother Avie’s creativity, Parton yearned to sing for an audience at a young age. After high school she moved to Nashville and became country star Porter Wagoner’s duet partner on his TV show, making a name for herself with hits like “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors” before they parted ways in 1974.

“I knew I had to keep going,” Parton says. “I couldn’t be Porter’s girl singer forever because God had a bigger purpose for me, and I had bigger dreams of my own.”

She faced industry sexism as she went her own way. But Parton managed to make a pop crossover as a solo artist before conquering Hollywood in the 1980s.

“You have to grow into things, and you have to grow out of things; that’s how I handled my career,” Parton says. “I needed to try things. A lot of people think because you’re a girl, you don’t always know what you’re doing. I don’t care about what other people are doing. I only care about what I need to be doing.”

She relied on her determination, her steadfast Christian faith and her gut. “I don’t try to tell other people how to do it, how to be, but I know who I am,” Parton says. “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.” 

Today she’s one of the most beloved artists of all time, with an Emmy, 11 Grammys, 25 No. 1 hits and more than 100 million albums sold. Her ever-expanding empire also spans resorts, streaming projects, fragrances and even frozen foods and cookware.

“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,” she says. “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.”

In March, Carl Dean, Parton’s ultra-private husband of 58 years, died at 82. While Parton took care of Dean and grieved his death, she neglected her own health. In September she canceled a public appearance over her kidney stone issues, then announced that she would be postponing her upcoming Las Vegas residency from December to September 2026. Fans feared the worst, but Parton set the record straight in an Oct. 8 Instagram video, saying “Lately everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick?” Parton said. “I wanted you to know that I’m not dying.”

These days Parton is grateful for what she’s accomplished and gearing up for what’s next (including her stage production Dolly: A True Original Musical, which is set to open on Broadway in 2026).

“I’m at that point in my life where I just want to be able to do good things that can be carried on. 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,” she says.

Adds Parton of sharing her joys and sorrows with the public: “I’ve had to wear my heart on my sleeve for a long time now, and I cry easier than I used to. But it’s just leaving your life wide open for everybody to look right at you, right through you and right into you … I hope they see my heart.”

Dolly Parton’s new book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage is out now.