Reba McEntire missed Dolly Parton’s final call: ‘I’ll never know why she called me’

Reba McEntire missed a call from Dolly Parton before she died.

The 71-year-old country star first met the late musical icon in 1977 at her Grand Ole Opry debut and despite being star-struck by Dolly, the pair went on to form a decades-long friendship.

Reba has revealed that Dolly, who passed away in August at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer, called her the month before she died but she missed the call and was unable to get back in touch with her.

She told Entertainment Tonight, “She did call me the last of July, and I was in a meeting and I missed her call. I tried to get back in touch with her and I couldn’t; never made connection. And then when my buddy called me and said, ‘Dolly’s gone,’ I thought, ‘I’ll never know why she called me.’ I’ll find out one day.”

Reba has previously shared all about her first meeting with Dolly, and how she was so thrilled to meet one of her musical heroes that she didn’t care when one of her Grand Old Opry debut songs was cut, in order to facilitate Dolly’s unexpected appearance.

McEntire recalled, "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."

Rather than being disappointed, Reba said she was thrilled by the opportunity to meet one of her musical heroes.

The Whoever's in New England singer said, "I said, 'Heck, you can have both of them if I can just meet Dolly!'"

Reba remembers Dolly making a memorable entrance in a glamorous outfit that perfectly matched her signature style. “I will never forget her walking through in this beautiful black chiffon outfit with rhinestone butterflies.”

"She looked just like an angel!" the country musician said of Dolly.

Following Dolly Parton's death at age 80 last month, Reba McEntire paid tribute to her longtime friend at the Emmy Awards in September, by performing the 1983 song Appalachian Memories.

After the performance, McEntire shared an emotional message for the late singer. “I love you, Dolly. So much."