Reba McEntire Reveals the Dolly Parton Call She Missed — and the Question She’ll Never Have Answered

Reba McEntire has revealed a heartbreaking detail from the final weeks of Dolly Parton’s life: the country music legend tried to call her, but Reba was in a meeting and couldn’t answer.

McEntire later tried to return the call. She never managed to reconnect with her longtime friend.

Now, following Parton’s death at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, Reba is left wondering what Dolly wanted to tell her.

“I’ll never know why she called me,” McEntire said.

The Call Reba Couldn’t Answer

McEntire said Parton called her near the end of July.

At the time, Reba was attending a meeting and missed the call. She subsequently attempted to reach Dolly, but the two never connected.

Then came the phone call McEntire never wanted to receive.

A friend contacted her to say Dolly had died.

Suddenly, the missed call on Reba’s phone carried an entirely different significance. Whatever Dolly had wanted to discuss during that final attempt to reach her would remain unknown.

Reflecting on that unanswered question, Reba said she believed she would discover the reason someday.

Dolly Parton Dies at 80

Parton’s death was announced on August 25 following what was described as a brief battle with cancer.

McEntire joined countless friends, performers and admirers in paying tribute to the country music icon.

In her emotional message, Reba thanked Dolly for everything she had given through her music, generosity and friendship, writing that there would “never ever be another” performer like her.

She also reflected on their personal history, saying she would always remember the first time they met and their final conversation.

But Reba’s later revelation about the missed phone call added another poignant layer to that farewell.

The two women had spoken before Dolly’s death — but there had been one more attempt by Parton to reach her friend.

A Friendship That Stretched Across Decades

Reba and Dolly’s relationship extended far beyond two famous names in country music.

Over the years, they performed and worked together numerous times. Dolly appeared as a guest star on Reba’s sitcom in 2005, and the pair later recorded “Does He Love You” together for McEntire’s 2021 album Revived Remixed Revisited.

Their friendship was also tested during one of the darkest periods of Reba’s life.

In 1991, eight members of McEntire’s band died in a plane crash following a concert in San Diego.

McEntire later acknowledged how difficult it was to imagine returning to the stage after the loss.

Dolly was among those who stepped forward to help.

According to Reba, Parton offered her own band to McEntire as she attempted to rebuild and continue performing.

For Reba, the gesture became an enduring example of the kind of friend Dolly was when someone needed her most.

One Final Mystery Between Two Friends

Decades of friendship left McEntire with countless memories of Parton, from performances and recordings to private moments of support away from the spotlight.

But the call near the end of July now stands apart.

Dolly reached out.

Reba could not answer.

She tried to call back, but they never managed to reconnect before Parton’s death.

Whatever Dolly hoped to say during that call remains unknown — leaving Reba with one final unanswered question about a friend who had been part of her life for decades.

“I’ll find out one day,” she said.