Dolly Parton Opens Up About Why She Never Had Children

Dolly Parton spoke openly about one of the biggest things she and her husband, Carl Dean, once imagined for their future: having children, before her death on Tuesday, aged 80. The couple married in 1966 after Parton fell in love with Dean when she was just 18. More than five decades later, Parton continued to describe their relationship as a happy one, even though they never became parents.

Parton opened up about never having children Parton opened up about never having children. Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty/SXSW Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, Parton explained that not having children ultimately gave her the freedom to dedicate herself to her career. “Since I had no kids and my husband was pretty independent,” she admitted, she had the “freedom” to pursue her ambitions.

“So I think a big part of my whole success is the fact that I was free to work. ” However, Parton revealed that having children was something she and Dean initially expected. “Early on, when my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids,” she told Billboard in 2014.