“I wanted to tell how I see my life and how it was from me,” Parton said in an August 2025 interview for her November 2025 PEOPLE cover story

NEED TO KNOW

• Dolly Parton shared her desire to tell her life story in her own words one year before her death
• Her desire led to the inception of Dolly: A True Original Musical, which debuted in Nashville and is heading to Broadway
• Parton said the musical includes personal stories, original songs, and her iconic hits to showcase her legacy in an August 2025 interview for her November 2025 PEOPLE cover story

Dolly Parton was reflecting on her legacy one year before her death.

Before the music trailblazer died at the age of 80 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, PEOPLE spoke with her in an August 2025 interview for her November 2025 PEOPLE cover story, in which she opened up about why it was important for her to tell her story while she was still alive.

The idea ultimately became Dolly: A True Original Musical, based on her many career and philanthropic ventures, which began with a four-week 2025 limited engagement in Nashville before coming to Broadway in New York City this winter.

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“I have thought for years that my life story would be better as a musical than a biopic,” Parton told PEOPLE at the time. “Everybody’s doing that. But because I write, I’m a songwriter and I just felt like that I could write some new original music and you can … And the other thing too is you can put so many things in a song.”

Parton felt that while her story was “very interesting,” a three-hour show would be too long, thus making it about two and a half hours.

The country music icon knew that her story was generational.

“From the way I grew up coming from no electricity in my early years. It’s like I came from the dark ages into the new age,” said Parton. “And that’s fascinating to people. And it is to me as well, to think where I came from to where I’ve gone, where I’ve come to now.”

Because it was a life she “suffered a lot for,” it was important for her to have a say in how her story was told.

“I think I was willing at my age now to be able to tell my story,” she said. “I wanted to tell my life story from me, my truth, not somebody else’s. Because I’m sure there’ll be so many stories of Dolly Parton through the years, and everybody will have their own take on it. Whether it be their take of the Dolly Parton years or whether it be Dolly this or this or that.”

“But I wanted to tell my story while I was still alive,” said Parton. “I wanted to tell how I see my life and how it was from me. So I wanted to write some original pieces. Of course, I had to add all the hits. But the fact that I told how they came to be, what was going on behind, it’s kind of like I did in my Songteller book when I talked about my songs and the stories behind them.”

“That’s real interesting to people, I think. And a lot of people didn’t know. A lot of people were surprised that I was willing to divulge so many personal things, but so what?” she added.

“I mean, people think they know everything about you,” said Parton. “They don’t. And they still don’t. But they know a lot more than they ever did by watching the musical. And I just thought, well, why not be on Broadway? I’ve done so many other things, why not do that? So I did it.”

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Preview performances for Parton’s Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin Dec. 7 at New York City’s St. James Theatre, with opening night set for Jan. 19, 2027 — what would have been Parton’s 81st birthday.

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