Reba McEntire Missed Her Last Chance At 'Connection' With Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton was one of those celebrities who just about everyone loved, and that included other celebrities. One such celeb friendship was between Parton and fellow country music star and actor Reba McEntire; the women were close for years. When Parton passed away in August 2026 at the age of 80, McEntire wrote a touching post about her on Instagram, ending it by quoting one of Parton's biggest hits: "I will always love you." McEntire also sang another one of Parton's songs, "Appalachian Memories," during the Emmys tribute to the late singer. There is one unanswered question that McEntire has about her relationship with Parton — why Parton had called her in July 2026. McEntire revealed in a September 2026 interview with Entertainment Tonight that she'd missed what would turn out to be her last opportunity to speak with Parton.

"She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call," McEntire said. "And I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn't. Never made connection." Once she heard that Parton had passed away, it sadly dawned on McEntire that she still didn't know why Parton had reached out in July. "I thought, 'I'll never know why she called me,'" Reba explained to Entertainment Tonight. "So that, I'll find out one day."

Reba McEntire also talked to Entertainment Tonight about how it was sometimes hard to connect with Dolly Parton considering how busy the two of them were. "Well, it took us a long time to connect because of our schedules and things," McEntire said, seemingly referring to their last phone call. "It was really special when we finally did connect and get to talk." Knowing how busy Parton was, McEntire wanted to respect her time, but she also confirmed, "I didn't want to let her go."

McEntire's revelation that she missed the call from Parton resonated with people who understood how you never know when a call may turn out to be the last one. One person on X said, "conversations just don't get a second chance[.] Reba and Dolly's friendship spanned decades. This one hurts because it feels so unfinished."

Parton and McEntire's first unofficial meeting happened in 1977 when McEntire had her inaugural performance at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. McEntire said in a clip from MasterClass (via Facebook) that she found out one of her two planned songs for the evening was taken off the schedule so Parton could sing. McEntire had no problem with that. In fact, she just wanted the chance to meet Parton, who had been a big name in the country business for years at that point. Although McEntire and Parton weren't properly introduced that night at the Grand Ole Opry, when McEntire saw Parton there, she said she thought to herself, "My gosh, that's probably what an angel looks just like right there."