Dolly Parton Says 'Warped Sense of Humor' Is Secret to Her 56-Year Marriage

Dolly Parton.Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesDolly Partonis revealing the key to her 56-year marriage with husbandCarl Thomas Dean.“We both have awarped sense of humor,” the country legend, who married Dean on May 30, 1966, toldET Canada. “And I think humor, honestly, is one of the best things when you’re married like that.““Even if you have a problem, if you have a great sense of humor, if you say something you can’t take back [you] usually have some crazy way of getting out of it,” added Parton.

Dolly Parton Says Dollywood Theme Park Was Inspired by the 'Most Perfect Place That God Has Created' (Exclusive)

Miller Mobley/NBC via Getty Dolly Partonis lifting the veil behindDollywood’s inspiration. The “Jolene” singer, who’s an honoree forNational Geographic’s 2024 Travelers of the Year, spoke about what makes Dollywood theme park so special. In quotes from National Geographic shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Parton shared her love of the theme park’s landscape. “Well, we’re lucky to be in the part of the world that I believe is just absolutely the most perfect place that God has created, so we just look outside the window and those big, beautiful Smoky Mountains provide all the inspiration we could ever dream of finding,” says Parton in an exclusive quote.

Dolly Parton Says Her Philanthropy Isn't for a 'Tax Write-Off': 'Something I Can Take Pride In'

Dolly Partonis among the 2022 class ofCarnegie Medal of Philanthropyhonorees for her decades of charitable efforts. Ahead of the ceremony at Gotham Hall in New York City on Thursday, the country icon spoke to PEOPLE about the honor and what inspires her philanthropic work, which includes helping young children around the world learn to read since 1995 through theDollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library. “That always made me feel bad about my dad, so I started it based on that, just for our county,” Parton, 76, tells PEOPLE.

Dolly Parton Says She 'Has Never Not Been Home for Christmas' — and Reveals Which Holiday Dishes She Looks Forward to Most (Exclusive)

Dolly Parton and her French bulldog Billy the Kid.Photo:Courtesy of Dolly Parton Courtesy of Dolly Parton It’s no secret thatDolly Partonloves the yuletide season. The country music legend, 78, has released three Christmas albums and starred in several Christmas movies throughout her decades-long career. And much like the title of her 1990 album,Home for Christmas, that’s exactly what she has managed to do for years: always be home for the big holiday.

Dolly Parton Says She Believes Beyoncé Recorded a 'Jolene' Cover for Upcoming Country Album Cowboy Carter

Dolly Parton; Beyoncé.Photo:Emma McIntyre/Getty; Kevin Mazur/WireImageThere might just be a country classic featured onBeyoncé’s new album.In aninterview withKnox Newson Friday for the 2024 season opening of Dollywood,Dolly Partonrevealed that one of her most famous songs — “Jolene” — might be featured on the “Formation” artist’s forthcoming country album,Cowboy Carter.When asked if rumors that Beyoncé, 42, recorded the country icon’s classic were true, Parton, 78, said: “Well, I think she has! I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that.