Dolly Parton Remembered: A Life in Her Own Words

Dolly Parton, the country music legend who died Tuesday at age 80 in Nashville, was as known for her sharp wit and candid reflections as for her rhinestone-studded stage wear. Over the decades, she sat for numerous interviews with Varta Wire, offering a window into her singular life and career.

Parton never saw herself as a movie star, even after finding success on the big screen. She admitted she could not act a part, but could handle a role if it allowed her to be herself. She took pride in projects that preserved her Smoky Mountain heritage, pushing back against what she saw as Hollywood's tendency to misrepresent her people.

Her love for her husband of many decades was a recurring theme. She described it as love at first sight, noting that while she saw people who turned her head, none had turned it around quite like him. She also spoke with characteristic humor about her famously tight outfits, joking that a wardrobe malfunction could wipe out the first three rows of any audience.

Music was a physical, almost spiritual experience for her. She compared the thrill of finding a compatible singing voice to making love, saying she got off on the buzz of a perfect harmony. She also reflected on the legacy of Elvis Presley, whom she described as a near-religious figure whose appeal was real and enduring.

Parton was a prolific songwriter, and she was pragmatic about the credit. When people assumed Whitney Houston had written "I Will Always Love You," Parton said she was happy to let Houston have the credit while she took the cash. She was also initially hesitant about her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, feeling she had not earned her place among rock greats, but she accepted gracefully and threw herself into the role.

Her philanthropy was a point of pride, rooted in a promise to her home region. She wanted to bring jobs back to her part of the country, and she credited God for her good fortune in being able to do so. She also spoke of her role as a fairy godmother to younger artists, offering advice when asked but confident they were doing fine on their own.

Parton never planned to retire. She hoped to die in the middle of a great event or a song she was singing, going happy and doing what she loved. She saw herself not as a superstar, but as a workhorse that looked like a show horse. Her grandfather once said she came out crying in the key of D, and she hoped her songs would last and that she would be remembered as someone who tried to do some good in the world.