Dolly Parton says at 80 'I ain't got time to get old'

Dolly Parton hit eight decades of her life, was born in 1946, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

On Friday, January 16, PEOPLE took an exclusive interview with the singer-songwriter known as Jolene who celebrated her 80th birthday on Monday, January 19.

In a reflection on the milestone, the 11 times Grammy winner told “People say, ‘Well, you’re going to be 80 years old.’ Well, so what? Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started.”

Parton responded with regard to her health, saying, “I know that sounds stupid, but unless my health gives way, which right now I seem to be doing fine.”

The country icon has already postponed the Las Vegas residency she had scheduled in September because of her health.

However, the American singer later reassured her fans in an Instagram video, saying she was alright and asked her fans to continue praying.

Parton told her ideas on aging in the cover story, “If you allow yourself to get old, you will. I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that.”

She said in the future looking at her birthday, “There is a celebration in the fact that I have done so much in that time and that I’m still doing it.”

On her career, with 25 No.1 country hits and several gold and platinum records, Parton stated, “I got to see my dreams come true.”