Dolly Parton knew music was her calling from early age. She first started performing at the age of 10, and just three years later she debuted on the Grand Ole Opry making $20 a week.
Most of the family members on her mom’s side were very musical and played instruments, so music was a fundamental part of her life from the moment she was born. Her love for music grew even deeper when her uncle Lewis gave her his cherished little Martin guitar.
Soon after graduating high school, Parton moved to Nashville and quickly rose to fame. Throughout her career, she has written over 3,000 songs, sold more than 100 million albums, topped the country charts 25 times, and won eight Grammy Awards.
She and her husband of many years, Carl Dean, never had children, and according to Parton it was a decision they made together, although they sometimes wonder what their children would have looked like if they had any.
Speaking on the topic, she shared with Today the reason behind that decision.
“I’ve made sacrifices, but I think, like I said, I believe what I know I’m supposed to do,” she said. “I’ve made the sacrifice of time… and not having time to spend with family, and you give up family and friends, vacation, and work without end, 24/7, 365, but you got to make the sacrifice.”
However, this decision wasn’t entirely hers. Actually, she experienced heath struggles.
In 1985, Parton was diagnosed with endometriosis, which led to the country singer’s partial hysterectomy.
In her book Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton, she wrote, “I wasn’t conscious of nutrition, I wasn’t taking care of myself…I was working hard, and underneath I was a pile of personal and emotional problems. All at once, I fell apart. It was stomach problems and female problems—all over health problems, actually.”
The condition affected her life and led her to severe depression. Sadly, the realization that she couldn’t conceive children naturally was a heavy burden for her. “Suddenly, I was a middle-aged woman. I went through a dark time until I made myself snap out of it,” she said.
Although Dolly Parton doesn’t have children of her own, she is ensuring that millions of kids receive high-quality books through her program.
