The Associated Press spoke with , who in Nashville, numerous times throughout her career. Here are some of her quotes from the archives, as compiled by AP Music Writer Maria Sherman.
July 1979, on going to Hollywood for 鈥�9 to 5鈥�
鈥淚 never thought of myself as a movie star. I knew I鈥檇 be a star, but as a singer or as a writer of songs or books or poetry. I wanted to be a famous performer and wear flashy clothes, but singing in movies was not one of my ambitions. My family lived in the mountains and we didn鈥檛 see movies.”
鈥淚 can鈥檛 act a part, but if they allow me to be myself, then I can handle it. If they find me a story that allows me to be me, then I鈥檓 interested; if they don鈥檛, I鈥檓 not.鈥�
October 1979, on kissing President Jimmy Carter at the White House
鈥淢y husband wants a picture of this, too.鈥�
December 1980, reviewing her performance in 鈥�9 to 5鈥�
鈥淚n places I was real good. In places I was real average and in others I was 鈥� (sticking out her tongue). All in all, for the first time out, I was proud of it.鈥�
December 1981, on set of 鈥淭he Best Little Whorehouse in Texas鈥�
鈥淚鈥檒l admit I had some misgivings about the title of the movie. After all, my granddaddy was a preacher, and I鈥檓 a spiritual person myself. I didn鈥檛 want to do anything that might be considered offensive. Then I saw the play and I realized it was just a foot-stompin鈥� good time.鈥�
July 1985, on opening Dollywood
鈥淚t鈥檚 something I want to take pride in, to preserve the Smoky Mountain heritage rather than have Hollywood portray us as they often do.鈥�
May 1992, on husband Carl Dean and happiness
鈥淚t was love at first sight. I see people who turn my head all the time. It鈥檚 just that nobody鈥檚 turned my head around as much as him.鈥�
March 1999, on singing with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
鈥淲e do love to sing. Your whole life you wait to find those compatible voices. It鈥檚 like making love. … I get off on it. I do. I get so thrilled. When it buzzes, it is good. It鈥檚 just like sex in that way. Don鈥檛 fight it.鈥�
August 2002, on Elvis鈥� legacy in eastern Tennessee
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he will ever die down. He鈥檚 considered by many to be like a religious figure, like Jesus. 鈥� I don鈥檛 know how to explain it, but it鈥檚 there, and it鈥檚 real, and people love it.鈥�
April 2004, on never retiring
鈥淚鈥檒l be like Bob Hope, touring when I鈥檓 100. I love being busy. … I will never retire. I hope to fall dead in the middle of some great event or some great song I鈥檓 singing. Then they鈥檒l say, 鈥極h well, she went happy and doing what she loves.鈥欌��
April 2004, on her award show performance after Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl show
鈥淭here鈥檚 not going to be no wardrobe malfunction this evening. There鈥檚 not supposed to be, it鈥檚 not planned. But as tight as my clothes are there鈥檚 no telling what will happen. If it does happen, I鈥檓 going to wipe out the first three rows.鈥�
March 2008, about starting her own label, Dolly Records
鈥淚鈥檓 looking at it like an investment. I thought, 鈥業鈥檝e made enough money. I can afford to invest a little in myself.鈥欌��
May 2009, on receiving her honorary doctorate
鈥淛ust think, I am Dr. Dolly! So when people say something about 鈥楧ouble-D,鈥� they will be thinking of something entirely different.鈥�
April 2010, on 25 years of Dollywood
鈥淚 always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area. Sure enough, I was lucky, and God was good to me and things happened good.鈥�
July 2010, on Miley Cyrus
鈥淚鈥檓 her fairy godmother. 鈥� I鈥檓 just real proud of her. She does not need my advice, but she鈥檚 often asking for information and advice, and I tell her what I know, but I think the girl鈥檚 doing all right without me.鈥�
December 2018, on writing 鈥淚 Will Always Love You鈥�
鈥淧eople always tell me, 鈥業 thought that was Whitney鈥檚 song. I didn鈥檛 know you wrote it. I thought she wrote it.鈥� And I tell them, 鈥楽he can have the credit. I鈥檒l just take the cash.鈥欌��
October 2022, on her charity work
鈥淚 don鈥檛 do it for attention. But look! I鈥檓 getting a lot of attention by doing it. … I just give from my heart. I never know what I鈥檓 going to do or why I鈥檓 gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will.鈥�
November 2023, on making a rock album:
鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 think that I had done enough in the rock world to be considered, to be put in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when there were so many great rock artists that are not even in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. … They were going to put me in anyway, so I just accepted it gracefully. But I thought, 鈥榃ell, I鈥檓 going to have to earn my keep 鈥� I jumped on that like a duck on a June bug.鈥欌��
November 2024, on her family album and legacy
鈥淢y grandpa used to say, when I got famous, he said, 鈥榃ell, she came out crying in the key of D.鈥� I think we all did.鈥�
鈥淚 hope that a lot of my songs may last that long. And I hope I鈥檒l be remembered as somebody that tried to do some good in the world and left, you know, a few good things.鈥�
May 2025, on leaning into faith after losing husband Carl Dean and being a superstar
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. You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans 鈥� but that鈥檚 the hardest part.鈥�
鈥淚 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. My husband always said, 鈥業f anybody was ever born to be a star, it鈥檚 you.鈥欌��
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The quotes were compiled from interviews, including with AP journalists Maria Sherman, Gary Gerard Hamilton and Glenn Gamboa, as well as the late Bob Thomas and Frank Cormier and former AP journalist Mike Cidoni Lennox.
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