Dolly Parton says she’d 'rather be' in her 70s than be young again: 'I mean this from the bottom of my heart'

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Dolly Parton is not letting age get her down.

Following her 77th birthday in January, Parton spoke with Insider regarding how she feels about aging, revealing the reason she wouldn't want to be young today. 

The singer said she's come to terms with the idea that "wisdom comes with age, and you can't stop the aging process, nor the numbers.

"Honestly — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — when I see young people today and I see what they're going to have to go through, especially in this day and time, I would honestly rather be this age than that age," Parton explained.

Parton revealed she would rather be her age than be young today. (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

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Working in the music industry, Parton is constantly exposed to the newest trends in beauty aimed toward appearing younger, but she tries not to "get caught in that trap of thinking" about what she can do to combat looking her age.

The legendary singer acknowledged she's no different from "everyone (who) would like to stay 35 forever," but she doesn't spend her life thinking about her age and doesn't let it get in the way of her doing what she wants.

"The way I live, the way I work, the way I feel, I'm going to make every moment count," Parton said. "I may live to be 100 or I may die tomorrow, but whenever that is, I will know I died trying, and I will know I've done everything I could to make the most of everything.

Country singer Dolly Parton performs onstage with an acoustic guitar in 1974.  (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

"As long as I stay healthy, the numbers shouldn't matter. I don't feel my age, I don't work my age, I don't think my age and, hopefully, I don't look my age," she noted.

After decades in the music industry, Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October 2022 along with Eminem, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and Eurythmics. Artists are eligible for induction after having made a big impact in the music industry and being in the industry at least 25 years.

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The significance of being approached to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is not lost on Parton. In fact, it was something she didn't think she deserved when she was first asked to be included. 

The "Jolene" hitmaker made headlines in March 2022 when she said she was "extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated," but would have to "respectfully bow out" because she didn't think she'd earned the right to be considered a rock artist.

Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October 2022 after initially turning down the honor. (Amy Sussman/WireImage)

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"It was always my belief that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was for the people in rock music, and I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that," she explained to NPR at the time. "I just felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, because I never considered myself a rock artist."

Other notable country music icons who have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame include Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams and Chet Atkins.

Parton has been a part of the Country Music Hall of Fame since 1999 and is also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. (NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

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Throughout her career, she's earned a total of 53 Grammy nominations with 10 wins, including the best contemporary Christian music performance/song, the best country duo/group performance for "Jolene," the best bluegrass album and best country song categories.