Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were open about their decision not to have children together.
“My husband and I, when we first got married, we thought about if we had kids, what would they look like?” Parton told The Guardian in December 2014. “Would they be tall — because he’s tall? Or would they be little squats like me? If we’d had a girl, she was gonna be called Carla. We talked about it, and we dreamed it, but it wasn’t meant to be. Now that we’re older? We’re glad.”
Dean died in March 2025 at age 82 following a prolonged illness. Nearly a year and a half later, Parton’s rep confirmed the country singer’s death at age 80.
“Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee,” read a statement from Parton’s rep in August 2026. “A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.”
Keep scrolling to see Parton’s quotes about not having kids:
Dolly Parton Said Not Having Kids Was ‘God’s Plan’
In 1995, Parton launched Imagination Library, a program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age 5, no matter their family’s income. Years later, the Grammy winner released her first children’s album, I Believe in You.
“God has a plan for everything,” Parton said on the Today show in October 2017 after the album’s release. “I think it probably was his plan for me not to have kids so everybody’s kids could be mine. And they are now.”
Dolly Parton Shared Her Theory on Why Kids Were Drawn to Her
In her 2017 Today interview, Parton joked, “I have that high-pitched voice, I look like Mother Goose or one of those over-exaggerated characters, and kids just relate to that.”
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean Had No Regrets About Kids
In October 2014, Parton told Billboard that she thought she “should regret” not having kids, but she never did.
“Early on, when my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids. We weren’t doing anything to stop it. In fact, we thought maybe we would. We even had names if we did, but it didn’t turn out that way,” she shared.
Parton continued, “I’m very close to my family — five of my younger brothers and sisters lived with me and Carl for many years — and we’re very close to our nieces and nephews. Now that Carl and I are older, we often say, ‘Aren’t you glad we didn’t have kids? Now we don’t have kids to worry about.’”
Dolly Parton Never Had a ‘Burning’ Desire to Have Kids
In a December 2023 interview with Saga magazine, Parton admitted that having kids was never a dream of hers.
“When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t one of those burning things for me,” she told the outlet. “I had my career and my music and I was traveling. If I’d had kids, I’d have stayed at home with them, I’m sure, and worried myself to death about them.”
