Reba McEntire missed a call from Dolly Parton before singer's death - USA Today
Reba McEntire has revealed she missed a chance to chat with her pal Dolly Parton one more time just weeks before the country music icon's death.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, McEntire, 71, said she received a call from Parton at the end of July. Parton, a longtime friend of McEntire's, died on Aug. 25 at age 80.
"She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call," McEntire told ET. "I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn't. Never made connection."
The "Reba" star added that when she learned that Parton had died the following month, she realized she would "never know why she called me," though she added, "I'll find out one day." The last time they spoke, it "took us a long time to connect because of our schedules and things," McEntire said, but "it was really special when we finally did connect and get to talk."
"I didn't want to keep her. I knew she was busy because she always is. But I didn't want to let her go," she shared.
McEntire and Parton had been friends going back to the 1970s, when they met at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. During a "MasterClass," McEntire remembered performing at the music venue for the first time in 1977 and being told she could only sing one song, rather than two, because "Dolly Parton just pulled in the parking lot, and she's going to take one of your songs."
"I said, 'OK, can I meet her?'" McEntire said, laughing. "I didn't care [about] anything. I just wanted to see Dolly Parton. She came walking in, and I kind of backed up against the wall, and she had on the most beautiful black chiffon pantsuit with rhinestone butterflies on them, and her beautiful hair. I thought, 'My gosh. That's probably what an angel looks just like, right there.'"
The pair remained friends for more than 40 years. In 2005, Parton had a guest role in an episode of McEntire's show "Reba," and in 2021, the singers performed the duet "Does He Love You" together.
Parton died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville after "bravely facing a brief battle with cancer," her representatives said. The "9 to 5" singer's cancer diagnosis was not known prior to her death, though she had been open about dealing with a number of health issues in the last year of her life.
In her tribute to Parton on Instagram in August, McEntire thanked her "buddy" for "all the wonderful things you did for us here on Earth," adding, "There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang."
"I'll never forget the first time I met you and I'll never forget our last conversation," McEntire also wrote. "I hold it with love in my heart."
McEntire honored her friend at the Emmy Awards earlier this month by singing Parton's 1983 song "Appalachian Memories." "I love you, Dolly," she said as the song ended. "So much."
