Dolly Parton Says She Would Rather 'Drop Dead Onstage' Than Opt for Retirement

Dolly Parton's not leaving the stage any time soon. In fact, when it comes to retirement, the 77-year-old country star would rather "drop dead" onstage instead of planning her last curtain call.

The Jolene singer shared her feelings about retirement while on the Greatest Hits Radio show, telling host Ken Bruce that there's a responsibility that comes with realizing one's biggest dreams.

"I always believe that if you've wanted your dreams to come true and you are lucky enough to have that happen, then you’ve got to be responsible because you gotta keep the dream alive," she explained. "And every dream kind of spawns another dream. You can branch off of almost anything that happens and make a business of that as well. So it’s kind of like a tree with good roots -- it’s got a lot of limbs and it’s also got a lot of leafs. So, why not make the most of it? And I’m not one to sit around and do nothing."

Here's the kicker:

"I would never retire. I’ll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song onstage someday," she said. "That’s how I hope to go. Of course, we don’t have much of a choice in that. But as long as I’m able to work, as long as my health is good and my husband is good. I mean, the only way that I would ever slow down or stop would be for that reason. But int he meantime I'm gonna make hay while the sun shines."

Back in May at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, the queen of country dropped the single "World on Fire," off her Rockstar album, set to drop Nov. 17, and she told ET while on the red carpet she was nervous about releasing her single.

"Well, I'm excited. A little bit nervous but in a good way," she said. "It's like I'm introducing my whole rock album tonight and this is the first single from that, but it's a good message. I think everybody in the world needs to kind of hear this. So, I'm excited about it."

Rockstar features nine original tracks and 21 classic covers, with legendary appearances by Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Lizzo, Chris Stapleton and Paul McCartney, among others.

During her conversation with Bruce, the 9 to 5 songstress also shared what she'd like to do next.

"I have new dreams every day. I wanna have my own network TV show, where I can actually do a lot of new things and produce," she said. "I wanna have my own story called Life of Many Colors, where I have a whole series of my life. Stuff that people haven't seen or know or heard about, and my people, where I come from, where I got to be and who I am; to have the behind-the-scenes and the adventures of my life."

She went on to say she'd like to have her own line of makeup, wigs and clothes. And she acknowledged that her fame afforded a lot of opportunities to come her way.

"Once you get to a certain place in your career you get a lot of offers," she said. "And some of them are just a little hard to turn down."

RELATED CONTENT:

How Chris Stapleton Feels to Be Dolly Parton’s Favorite Collaborator on Rock Album (Exclusive)

Lainey Wilson Offers Update on Song With Dolly Parton (Exclusive)

Dolly Parton Suggests 'Threesome' With Garth Brooks at 2023 ACM Awards

Dolly Parton on Her Wardrobe and 'Rockstar' Single Ahead of ACM Awards