Dolly Parton Facts: Tattoos, Marriage, Dollywood Details and Secrets

As one of the biggest country superstars in the world, Dolly Parton has shared so much of her life with her fans. The bestselling recording artist is extremely happy with her husband, Carl Dean, and their life together living in Tennessee. Even Dolly’s biggest fans may be shocked to learn five surprising facts about her!

Born in 1946, Dolly grew up in Tennessee with her parents, Robert Lee Parton and Avie Lee Owens, and her 11 siblings. The songwriter’s big break came in 1967 when she earned a spot on The Porter Wagoner Show. That same year, she released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly. The world was instantly captivated by her stage presence and charming personality.

Dozens more successful albums followed with chart-topping hits like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Islands in the Stream” and “Here I Am.” But Dolly’s talents weren’t just limited to music. The hitmaker is a businesswoman and a part-owner of Dollywood, a thrilling Tennessee theme park. She is also the founder of the Dollywood Foundation, a non-profit focused on childhood education initiatives.

While the I Am a Rainbow author and her hubby did not welcome any children of their own, they are very close to all of her nieces and nephews. In fact, family was just one of the inspirations behind her children’s album, I Believe in You, released in 2017.

“I think kids relate to me because they think of me like a Mother Goose or a Fairy Godmother,” the Grammy winner told People in May 2014. “I’m like a cartoon character — my voice is little and I’m an excitable little person like them! I’m very childlike in that way, in my nature.”

In 2016, Dolly celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary along with the 50th anniversary of her start in show business. She reflected on her incredible success during a November interview with Entertainment Tonight that year.

“It makes you feel proud. It makes you feel old, but it makes you feel like you might have done something good in your life,” the 9 to 5 actress said at the time. “Just being a part of country music after all these years, I feel like I’ve been here a long time.”

The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee has proven that she can do it all and does not plan on slowing down any time soon!

Keep scrolling to learn five facts you might not know about Dolly.

Dolly Has Several Hidden Tattoos

Dolly is known for her incredible outfits but very rarely offers glimpses of her ink. In an October 2021 interview with W Magazine, the beauty revealed the true story behind some of her hidden tattoos.

“I have a few little tattoos here and there,” she confessed. “Most of my tattoos came because I’m very fair, and I have a tendency to scar when I get any kind of cut. I’ve had surgeries for different things, and if the scars didn’t heal properly, I just gotta put tattoos to take the sting out. I don’t have the real heavy, dark tattoos. Mine are all pastel. And I have more than one!”

She Made a Shocking Confession About Dollywood

Dollywood is full of fun rides and attractions like the Dizzy Disk and the Lemon Twist. However, Dolly admitted that she has never ridden any of the rides in her park.

“I don’t ride the rides. I never have,” she admitted in a June 2019 interview with The New York Times. “I have a tendency to get motion sickness. Also, I’m a little bit chicken. With all my hair I got so much to lose, like my wig or my shoes. I don’t like to get messed up. I’m going to have some handsome man mess it up, I don’t want some ride doing it.”

Dolly Sleeps With Her Makeup on

The Steel Magnolias actress has always embraced her voluminous hair and signature makeup look. In a May 2021 interview with the Wall Street Journal, she shared the real reason why she keeps her makeup on when she goes to sleep.

“I do all my beauty work and cleaning my face in the morning because I usually try to keep my makeup on at night,” Dolly said. “Because I never know if there’s going to be an earthquake or a tornado or a storm and I’m going to have to go out in the middle of the night!”

She Is Passionate About Cooking

Dolly has many talents including whipping up delicious meals for her family and friends. In an April 2022 interview with Insider, the Golden Globe nominee revealed that she particularly enjoys cooking for her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.

“Miley and I both love Southern food, like mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a big ol’ hunk of cornbread — making cornbread muffins or a big pan of it with the squares,” she said.

Dolly Shared the Secret to Her Lasting Marriage

After meeting at a laundromat in 1964, Dolly and Carl’s relationship has withstood the test of time. They got married in 1966 in Georgia, just before she got her big break in the music world. Though a majority of her life is in the public eye, the details about her marriage and her husband are some of the things she has chosen to keep private.

“Our joke about the fact, when people ask me why it’s lasted this long, I say, ‘Because I stay gone.’ And there’s a lot of truth in that — the fact that we’re not in each other’s faces all the time,” she told Entertainment Tonight in October 2020 about their union. “But we do have a great respect and admiration for each other. We both have a great sense of humor. So, we have a lot of fun.”