Reba McEntire Missed a Call From Friend Dolly Parton Before Her Death

Reba McEntire is looking back on her time with Dolly Parton. 

The Reba star shared that before Parton died on Aug. 25 at age 80, she received a call from the “9 to 5” hitmaker that went unanswered. 

“She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call,” McEntire told Entertainment Tonight of Parton in a recent interview. “I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn’t. Never made connection.”

So, when a friend told the 71-year-old that Dolly was “gone” a month later, “I thought, ‘I’ll never know why she called me.’” 

But the “Fancy” singer is holding out hope that she’ll “find out one day.”

Though McEntire wasn’t able to talk with Parton in the weeks leading to her death, she did recall their final conversation. 

“Well, it took us a long time to connect because of our schedules and things,” McEntire explained. “And it was really special when we finally did connect and get to talk.”

While it proved difficult to get in touch with Parton, the “I’m a Survivor” singer shared she was especially reluctant to end their last catch-up.