Dolly Parton Opened Up About ‘Suicidal’ Depression Ahead of Death
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As you’ve certainly heard by now, Dolly Parton passed away this week at the age of 80.
The country music legend was one of the most beloved public figures of her time, but it seems that in private, she struggled with doubts and anxieties that plague most people at one point or another.
In a newly resurfaced interview, Dolly candidly opened up about the emotional turmoil she experienced in the mid-1980s.
At the time, the singer was dealing with major health problems and the realization that she might never have children with her husband, Carl Dean.
Parton’s depressive episode came after she began experiencing menopause and underwent a partial hysterectomy.
The procedure left her unable to have children, something that became an enormous source of emotional pain.
Dolly also admitted that she felt guilty about putting her career ahead of motherhood. She had spent years building a remarkable career, but she couldn’t help wondering whether she had made the wrong choices.
The emotional toll became so severe that Parton described herself as suicidal.
“Then one day, I just said to myself, ‘Right, get off your fat b-tt, or if you really are suicidal, then go and shoot your brains out. But get your misery out of other people’s lives and shut up!’” she recalled (via Radar Online).
Despite everything she had accomplished, Parton admitted she sometimes imagined what life would have been like if she had become a mother.
“I think I would have made a nice mama,” she said.
Parton and Dean had tried to have children for many years. She explained that she had initially put motherhood on hold because her career was thriving and she was taking birth control pills. After eventually stopping the medication, however, she still did not become pregnant.
Over time, Parton found a way to make peace with that part of her life.
“I don’t feel sad about it,” she explained, saying she came to believe that perhaps God had another purpose for her.
Dolly ultimately devoted enormous energy to helping children through her charitable work, including her beloved Imagination Library. She came to view her relationship with children around the world as part of a larger plan.
“I thought maybe God didn’t want me to have kids so that everybody else’s kids could be mine,” she said.
Parton’s relationship with Dean remained another source of strength throughout her life. The couple married in 1966 and remained together for nearly six decades until his death in March 2025.
In a 2024 appearance on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast, Parton reflected on the secret to their long-lasting relationship.
“We never fought back and forth,” she explained, adding that either one could use humor to break the tension when things became difficult.
Dean died at 82. Seventeen months later, Parton died at 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
Her private struggles serve as another reminder that even the brightest public personas can conceal profound pain.
