NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� floated throughout her first gospel album in 1971 with songs like 鈥淚 Believe,鈥� 鈥淟ord Hold My Hand鈥� and the album鈥檚 title track, 鈥淕olden Streets of Glory.鈥� The entertainment icon says the same steadfast faith that inspired those hymns have anchored her throughout her grief
鈥淚 am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I鈥檓 going to see him again someday. And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we鈥檝e built together,鈥� said Parton. 鈥淵ou just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans 鈥� but that鈥檚 the hardest part.鈥�
reflected on her marriage of nearly 60 years while promoting her new single-serve Southern-inspired frozen meals, following her popular Duncan Hines baking mixes via a collaboration with US-based Conagra Brands. Dean, who avoided the spotlight and inspired her timeless hit 鈥淛olene,鈥� as well as her 2023 鈥淩ockstar鈥� album, died in March at 82.
鈥淚 just try to go on, because I know I have to. And he was ill for quite a while, and part of me was at peace that he was at peace and not suffering anymore. But that still doesn鈥檛 make up for the loss and the loneliness of it.鈥�
spoke with The Associated Press about her perspective on life without her husband, her entrepreneurial spirit and on why she鈥檚 never embraced the title 鈥渟uperstar.鈥� The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
AP: It seems like the entire world was thinking of you following your loss. Has your perspective changed of what you hope to accomplish after losing your husband?
PARTON: No, I just think that I鈥檝e always had dreams and I鈥檓 always working. My husband understood that. Carl knew that better than anybody and he was all about it. He was very proud of me. 鈥� So when I did lose him, I just thought, well, I鈥檓 going to take all of that energy, and I'm just going to put that back into other things, and I鈥檒l keep him ever-present in everything that I do.
AP: You have so many business ventures and philanthropic work. Where did your entrepreneurial acumen begin?
PARTON: I just think that if you鈥檙e successful, if you are lucky enough to see your dreams come true, you need to make new dreams out of your other dreams. Because it鈥檚 like a tree with lots of limbs and leaves, so every dream, you can kind of branch off 鈥� if you鈥檒l pardon the expression 鈥� and do other things. And I like the business end of things. I like seeing things happen, and I love making things happen. So, my mind just naturally works that way.
AP: You have your popular Duncan Hines cake mixes and now, your single-serve frozen meals. What other projects are you working on?
PARTON: I have a new book coming out ... this one is called 鈥楽tar of the Show,鈥� which is actually a song I wrote years ago. But it鈥檚 about my life on the road and my life on stage 鈥� all the behind the scenes and all the people that I鈥檝e met, and all of the things that happen when you鈥檙e traveling like that as I have for all of these years. So, that, and then I have my life story as a musical. It鈥檚 called 鈥楧olly: An Original Musical.鈥� And I鈥檝e written a lot of original songs for it. Of course, it鈥檒l have the big hits that are woven into the story. And it鈥檚 just about my life, from the time I was little until up through now.
It鈥檚 going to be at the Fisher Center of Performing Arts at Belmont University (in Nashville). Then, once that has its run through the end of August, then we take it to New York to open on Broadway next year.
AP: How are you celebrating the 40th anniversary of your Dollywood theme park?
PARTON: One of the things they did for the 40th anniversary was put a big sign up on the hill there above Dollywood that says 鈥淒ollywood鈥� like the Hollywood sign. 鈥� Years ago, when I thought, 鈥榃ell, someday I鈥檓 going to have my own theme park and I鈥檓 gonna change that H to a D and have Dollywood.' So, they finally, after 40 years, put that sign up, even though I鈥檝e talked about it for years. So, we鈥檝e got a lot of wonderful things planned for the whole season that鈥檚 celebrating the 40th anniversary. It seems just like a few years back, but it鈥檚 like everything else: I was with Carl for 60 years, and Dollywood鈥檚 40 years old. And that鈥檚 just hard to believe because I鈥檓 only 27. (laughs)
AP: Have you accepted that you鈥檙e the Dolly Parton, global superstar?
PARTON: I don鈥檛 think about my life in terms of 鈥榮uperstar.鈥� I鈥檓 just a workin鈥� girl. I always say 鈥� and it鈥檚 the truth 鈥� that I am a workhorse that looks like a show horse. But I gotta keep it all up and I enjoy all of it. 鈥� My husband always said, 鈥業f anybody was ever born to be a star, it鈥檚 you.鈥� Because he sees me loving to do all the things and playing and stuff 鈥� it鈥檚 play time for me. But I take it very serious.
___
Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Gary Gerard Hamilton, The Associated Press
