Dolly Parton Hopes She’ll ‘Drop Dead’ While Performing Her Own Song Instead of Retiring

Dolly Parton may not have a “9 to 5” schedule, but she plans on working until the end of her days. During an interview with Greatest Hits Radio‘s Ken Bruce that aired on July 13, the country icon shared her thoughts on retiring, and how she’d like to go out.

“I always believed that if you wanted your dreams to come true and you were lucky enough to have that happen, then you gotta be responsible … you gotta keep the dream alive,” she shared while promoting her upcoming rock album, Rockstar. “I’m not one to sit around doing nothing — I would never retire. I’ll hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage some day, and hopefully one I’ve written.”

“But anyhow, that’s how I hope to go because we don’t have much of a choice in that,” continued the star, whose Mountain Magic Christmas special received an Emmy nomination for outstanding television movie on July 12. “As long as I’m able to work, as long as my health is good and my husband is good, the only way I would ever slow down or stop would be for that reason.”

While the the 10-time Grammy winner may not ever be hanging up her guitar, she has parked her tour bus for good. “I think those days are pretty much behind me because I have so many things I’m involved in,” she told Bruce, noting that she will do special performances here and there. “You have to stay gone so long on a tour to make it be productive and prosperous. That’s a lot of time at my age! I ain’t got no years to waste!”

Besides her upcoming rock album (which is due out Nov. 17), Parton has a book titled Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones coming Oct. 17. The pink tome will explore not only her celebrated music career, but also her passion for fashion and her iconic style.

Watch her interview with Greatest Hits Radio above.