Dolly Parton jokes she'll 'hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song' someday before she ever retires

Dolly Parton has been a country music icon for more than 50 years and has no plans to stop anytime soon.

"I would never retire," Parton said last week during an interview with Ken Bruce on the UK's "Greatest Hits Radio," going on to joke she will "just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday - hopefully one I've written."

While promoting her upcoming album "Rockstar," she added she has "always believed that if you wanted your dreams to come true, and you're lucky enough to have that happen, then you've got to be responsible because you've got to keep the dream alive."

Equating the growth of each dream she has to "a tree with good roots," she went on to admit, with a laugh, "I'm not one to sit around doing nothing."

And she means it.

Despite being decades into an iconic career as one of the most beloved country music stars in history, she continues to create new magic and hop genres.

With "Rockstar" being her foray into rock music, Parton said the idea to create a rock record was inspired by her 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - an honor she notoriously, albeit politely, tried to decline at first.

"They put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I thought that I should have a decent record to represent that," she told Bruce, adding as a country artist she felt she "oughta do something to earn my keep" in the world of rock.

The record features collaborations with some of the most influential artists in music history including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Sting and many more.

Outside of creating new music, she told Bruce she also dreams of one day having her own TV network to produce shows to document her life, along with creating a fashion, makeup and wig line. Parton is also coming out with a book titled "Behind the Seams: My Life In Rhinestones" this October.

"As long as I'm able to work, as long as my health is good and my husband is good," Parton said, saying nothing else would slow her down.

"Rockstar" will be released globally on November 17.