Reba McEntire Reflects on Dolly Parton’s Missed Call

Reba McEntire has shared a painful unanswered question from the final weeks of Dolly Parton’s life: why her longtime friend tried to call her before the two singers were unable to reconnect.

McEntire said in an Entertainment Tonight interview that Parton called near the end of July while she was in a meeting. She missed the call and later tried to reach Parton, but the two never made contact. After learning that Parton had died on August 25 at age 80, McEntire was left wondering what her friend had wanted to discuss.

The story is especially poignant because their relationship extended across decades of country music. They recorded a new version of “Does He Love You” for McEntire’s 2021 album “Revived Remixed Revisited” and co-hosted the 2019 CMA Awards. McEntire has also described their last completed conversation as deeply meaningful.

A friendship remembered through music

McEntire recently honored Parton at the Emmy Awards with a performance of “Appalachian Memories.” The tribute followed her public remembrance of Parton, in which she celebrated the singer’s music, generosity and lasting influence. McEntire wrote that she would hold their memories and final conversation with love.

Parton’s representatives said she died after a brief battle with cancer at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, surrounded by loved ones. McEntire’s account does not answer what prompted the missed call, and she has not suggested that she knows. Instead, the uncertainty has become part of how she is processing the loss of a close friend.

The moment resonates because it is both extraordinary and familiar. Two of country music’s most recognizable figures shared stages, songs and major career milestones, yet their final attempted connection came down to an ordinary missed call during a busy day.

McEntire said she remains hopeful that she will learn the reason one day. Until then, her latest reflection adds a private, human detail to the many public tributes that have followed Parton’s death.