REBA MCENTIRE REVEALS THE HEARTBREAKING DOLLY PARTON CALL SHE MISSED BEFORE HER DEATH — “I’LL NEVER KNOW WHY SHE CALLED”
Reba McEntire has revealed a deeply painful detail from the final weeks of her longtime friendship with Dolly Parton — a missed phone call she now knows she can never return.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on September 25, McEntire recalled that Parton called her in late July, just weeks before the country icon died.
But McEntire was in a meeting and missed the call.
“I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn’t; never made connection,” she said.
Then came the devastating moment when McEntire learned that her friend was gone.
“When my buddy called me and said, ‘Dolly’s gone,’ I thought, ‘I’ll never know why she called me.’”
“I’ll find out one day,” McEntire added. “What a blessing she was for all of us.”
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Parton died peacefully in Nashville on August 25 after a brief battle with cancer.
McEntire was among the many stars who publicly mourned the loss, remembering Parton for the extraordinary generosity and love she had shown throughout her life.
“Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth,” McEntire wrote on Instagram. “Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge, huge heart. There will never ever be another you.”
The two country legends had shared a friendship and professional relationship spanning decades. Parton appeared as a guest star on Reba, while the pair recorded a version of “Does He Love You” for McEntire’s 2021 album.
They also co-hosted the CMA Awards in 2019 and reunited musically in January 2026, when McEntire joined Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson and Queen Latifah on a revamped version of Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
Earlier this month, McEntire performed Parton’s “Appalachian Memories” at the Emmys.
Yet amid all those memories, one small unanswered moment now carries a weight of its own: Parton reached out, McEntire missed the call, and the reason for it remains a mystery she may never solve.