Dolly Parton says belief in God kept her sane in 1978 interview

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Dolly Parton, the 10-time Grammy-winning country singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist known as the “Queen of Country,” died at age 80, her family said on Tuesday.

She spoke to sister station KCRA in 1978 about her family’s musical background and shared religious beliefs.

During the interview on Jan. 1, 1978, she said at the time that she hadn’t recorded a gospel song but that she grew up in a religious family. Her grandfather was a preacher.

She said she wrote a lot of songs that talked about God and religion and credited her belief in God with keeping a positive attitude.

“That’s one of the reasons that we stay sane and a lot of people in the business seem to be crazy,” she said of her family. “That would be a matter of opinion. A lot of people say I’m crazy.”