In 1997, scientists successfully cloned a sheep and named the animal Dolly after country legend Dolly Parton — for a very specific reason.
The “Jolene” singer, 78, spoke to The Guardianfor a new interview on Oct. 31 about her thoughts on sharing a namesake with Dolly the Sheep — whose moniker is a reference to Parton’s breasts — and whether she’d like to leave a duplicate version of herself behind when she’s gone.
“I was flattered,” she told the outlet of learning Dolly was named after her, before explaining: “You know, when the scientists cloned Dolly the sheep, they used the mammary glands. That’s what they call them … glands … the boobs.”
Parton added, “They said: ‘Oh, we have this sheep, Dolly …’ Everybody always played up to these [points to her chest], so that’s why we had Dolly the sheep.”
The sheep lived for six years and birthed six lambs before developing health issues and ultimately dying Feb. 14, 2003, according to History. Her taxidermied body remains on display at the National Museum of Scotland.
“I was sorry when she died,” Parton told The Guardian, “though I don’t want be cloned myself.”
Dolly Parton in Nashville in January 2024.
Jon Morgan/CBS via Getty
The Grammy winner continued, “I want to get on out of here when I can. We already get a lot of Dolly lookalikes, a lot of Dolly drag queens. I can just send them down to the store instead of me.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Parton spoke about the future of her career and why she “can’t retire.”
Dolly Parton in November 2023.
Jason Kempin/Getty
“I always say I’ve dreamed myself into a corner. I’ve got to keep all those dreams alive. Every dream spins off into some something else,” said the “Here You Come Again” performer.
Parton then spoke about “misinformation” surrounding her past comments about no longer touring: “I still do shows – I just don’t go on the full-blown tours where I go overseas for weeks. I’m older, my husband’s older, and I want to be with him more. So, no. I couldn’t retire if I wanted to. And I don’t want to.”
