Dolly Parton Was 'Flattered' to Learn the Late Dolly the Sheep Was Named in Reference to Her Breasts

In 1997, scientists successfully cloned a sheep and named the animal Dolly after country legend Dolly Parton – for a very specific reason.

The singer “Jolene”, 78, spoke with The Guardian for a new interview on Oct. 31 about her thoughts on sharing a namesake with Dolly the sheep — whose nickname is a reference to Parton’s breasts — and whether she wants to leave a duplicate of herself behind when she’s gone.

“I was flattered,” she told the outlet that Dolly was named after her, before explaining: “You know, when scientists cloned Dolly the sheep, they used mammary glands. That’s what they call … glands … teats. ”

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Dolly the sheep.

Najlah Feanny/Corbis/Getty

Parton added, “They said, ‘Oh, we’ve got this sheep, Dolly…’ Everyone always played on these [points to her chest]so that’s why we had Dolly the sheep.”

The ewes lived for six years and gave birth to six lambs before developing health problems and eventually dying on February 14, 2003, according to History. Her mummified body remains on display in the National Museum of Scotland.

I was sorry when she died, Parton said The Guardian“although I don’t want to be cloned.”

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Dolly Parton in Nashville in January 2024.

Jon Morgan/CBS via Getty

The Grammy winner continued: “I want to get out of here when I can. We already have a lot of Dolly lookalikes, a lot of drag queens. I can just send them down to the store for me.”

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Elsewhere in the interview, Parton talked about the future of her career and why she “can’t retire.”

Dolly Parton in November 2023.

Jason Kempin/Getty

“I always say I backed myself into a corner. I have to keep all those dreams alive. Every dream turns into something else,” said the “Here You Come Again” performer.

Parton then spoke about the “misinformation” surrounding her past comments about not touring anymore: “I’m still doing shows — I’m just not doing the big tours where I’m going overseas for weeks at a time. I’m older, my husband is older, and I want to be with him more. I couldn’t withdraw if I wanted to.”

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Source: HIS Education