She’ll find out one day, for sure.
On August 25, 2026, Dolly Parton sadly passed away at 80-years-old in Nashville Tennessee. Dolly had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. Dolly’s reps confirmed she sadly died following a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific kind was not revealed.
And as fans around the world continue to mourn, so do Dolly’s close friends in the industry, including Reba.
When Dolly passed, Reba shared a heartfelt tribute to her friend, thanking her for everything she did to make this world a better place:
“Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side. Dolly, thank you 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. There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang.
Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her. I’ll never forget the first time I met you and I’ll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart. I will always love you.”
The two of them first met in 1977 at the Grand Ole Opry, and Dolly also famously offered her entire band to Reba after a tragic plane crash in 1991 took the lives of 7 band members and her tour manager. Dolly ultimately sent her band leader, Gary Smith, to help her put a new band together.
And during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Reba opened up about her friendship with Dolly, and she revealed that Dolly had actually called her in July, but she was in a meeting and missed it.
She tried to get back in tough, but she never got in contact, and Reba says when she found out Dolly had passed, her first thought was that she’ll never know why Dolly had called her this past summer:
“Well, it took us a long time to connect because of our schedules and things. And it was really special when we finally did connect and get to talk, and I didn’t want to keep her, I knew she was busy cause she always is, but I didn’t wanna let her go. And then she did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call.
And I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn’t, never make connection. And then when Lisa Davis, my buddy called me in the morning of the 25th and she said Dolly’s gone. I thought, I’ll never know why she called me. So that… I’ll find out one day.”
I’m sure Dolly knew how much Reba loved her, they’ve been friends for many years, but still, I have to imagine it’s hard to wonder and Reba got visibly emotional as she talked about it. Dolly was famously hard to get a hold of and mostly uses fax to communicate, so I’m sure that only made it harder for Reba to get back in touch, in addition to Dolly’s health issues that got worse and worse over the last several months.
She added that it was “a blessing” to know Dolly and she feels as sad as everyone else still does over Dolly passing:
“What a blessing she was for all of us.”
Amen to that, Miss Reba…
A couple weeks ago at the Emmys, Reba honored Dolly with a flawless performance of Dolly’s song “Appalachian Memories,” which was released in 1983 as part of her 25th solo studio album, Burlap & Satin. Dolly wrote it about her life growing up in the Appalachian mountains, and the struggles of poor families like hers. It was emotional, and flawless, and Reba was the perfect selection for the moment.
In an interview with Vogue, Reba opened up about her Emmy tribute to Dolly, as well as her memories with the country music icon, recalling the first time she met Dolly in 1977 at the Grand Ole Opry. She says Dolly showed up unexpectedly that night:
“The first time I was in her presence, it was September 17, 1977. 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.
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!”
As to why she chose “Appalachian Memories,” Reba knew how special that song was to Dolly as it was about her raising in Appalachia and it was a huge part of her. Reba felt it was the perfect way to honor Dolly, saying the way she always “carried her upbringing with her” and she always admired that:
“It’s always been one of my favorite Dolly songs. She wrote it about her family and I think it’s just so beautiful and perfect to honor who she was and where she came from. She always carried her upbringing with her, and I admired that. There will never be another Dolly Parton.”
These kinds of tributes, especially for a figure of Dolly’s reach and magnitude, often fall flat, but Reba was the perfect choice and delivered it with so much heart and passion, making it so heartfelt and authentic.
They really did a fabulous job, I really loved how they had the footage of Dolly performing “Appalachian Memories” for the first time at the beginning, and I think Dolly would’ve absolutely loved this:
“Appalachian Memories”