Reba McEntire says she will never know why Dolly Parton tried to reach her in the weeks before the country legend’s death.
The “Fancy” singer, 71, told Entertainment Tonight in an interview shared Friday that Parton called her in late July while she was stuck in a meeting. “She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call,” McEntire said. “I tried to get back in touch with her, and I couldn’t. Never made connection.”
When word came on Aug. 25 that Parton had died at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, McEntire’s thoughts immediately turned to that unanswered call. “I’ll never know why she called me,” she said. Still, she added, “I hold it with love in my heart,” referring to their final conversation before the missed connection.
McEntire described that last proper conversation as “really special,” telling Entertainment Tonight that she “didn’t want to let her go” even though she knew Parton was busy. She remains hopeful she’ll “find out one day” what Parton had wanted to discuss.
The “Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” singer had already paid public tribute to Parton earlier this month at the Emmy Awards, where she performed Parton’s song “Appalachian Memories” in a sparkling white dress backed by a live symphony.
Parton’s representatives confirmed her cause of death the same day she died, stating she “departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones” after “bravely facing a brief battle with cancer.” They did not specify what type of cancer. She was laid to rest days later at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville beside her late husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82.
McEntire had rushed to social media on Aug. 25 upon learning the news, writing that she “just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side.” In her post, she thanked Parton “for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth.”
“Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart,” McEntire wrote at the time. “There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang,” She added that Parton was “gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her,” and noted she’ll “never forget” the first time they met or their last conversation.
Parton’s death has also stirred family turmoil. Her sisters Freida and Stella cryptically addressed online rumors of a family feud after Parton’s nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, was fired. Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell has since filed a lawsuit against Seaver, alleging extortion and deadly threats, though insiders have said they fear Nozell simply “wants the family out of the picture.”
McEntire and Parton rose to fame during overlapping eras of country music’s commercial explosion, with both women becoming crossover stars and pop-culture fixtures beyond the genre. Their friendship spanned decades of shared award shows, collaborations, and mutual public admiration.