Reba McEntire Says She’ll ‘Find Out One Day’ Why She Missed Dolly Parton’s Final Phone Call
Reba McEntire Says She’ll ‘Find Out One Day’ Why She Missed Dolly Parton’s Final Phone Call
Ilana KaplanMon, September 28, 2026 at 3:24 PM UTC
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Reba McEntire in September 2026; Dolly Parton in January 2012 in Hollywood, Calif.Credit: Entertainment Tonight/Youtube; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage -
Reba McEntire opened up about missing late friend Dolly Parton’s final phone call
The “Fancy” singer says she will “find out one day” why she missed it
According to McEntire, she was in “a meeting” at the time of the call
Reba McEntire says that one day she’ll discover why she missed late friend Dolly Parton’s final phone call.
The “Fancy” hitmaker opened up to Entertainment Tonight on Friday, Sept. 25, about not being able to connect with the country legend who died on Aug. 25 at 80.
“She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting, and I missed her call,” McEntire, 71, told the outlet. “I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn’t; never made connection.”
She continued, “And then when my buddy called me and said, ‘Dolly’s gone,’ I thought, ‘I’ll never know why she called me.’”
McEntire then smiled sadly and said, “I’ll find out one day.”
McEntire and Parton had a decades-long friendship. In 2005, Parton guest-starred in an episode of McEntire’s sitcom Reba, and, in 2019, the duo co-hosted the CMA Awards alongside Carrie Underwood. They teamed up in 2021 to record a stripped-down acoustic version of McEntire’s 1993 hit “Does He Love You.”
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Earlier this month, the “Tourist” artist opened up in an interview with Vogue just one day after she paid tribute to Parton at the Emmy Awards, about how the duo met in 1977.
“The first time I was in her presence, it was Sept. 17, 1977,” she said. “I was making my Grand Ole Opry debut and was supposed to sing two songs that night. They came to me and said one of my songs was going to have to be cut because Dolly Parton had just walked in the back door.”
Added McEntire, “I said, ‘Heck, you can have both of them if I can just meet Dolly!’ I will never forget her walking through in this beautiful black chiffon outfit with rhinestone butterflies. She looked just like an angel!”
Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton in June 2001Credit: Evan Agostini/Getty
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McEntire paid tribute to the “Jolene” hitmaker on Sept. 14 at the Emmys by singing the 1983 ballad “Appalachian Memories.”
At the end of her performance, she said, “I love you, Dolly. So much.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
