Millions cried and ranted about the injustice that the universe dealt us upon hearing the heartbreaking news on August 25, 2026. Country music superstar Dolly Parton had died at age 80 after “a brief battle with cancer,” per a statement her reps gave to People. She leaves behind millions of fans all over the world, a legendary body of music, and the gratitude of everyone who ever benefited from her charitable efforts, including the Imagination Library and her COVID-19 vaccine funding. One of Parton’s many friends who felt the loss deeply was fellow country star and longtime pal Reba McEntire. Along with several other Hollywood celebrities who reacted to Dolly Parton’s death, McEntire posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, including a series of photos chronicling their decades-long friendship.
“I’ll never forget the first time I met you and I’ll never forget our last conversation,” she wrote. “I hold it with love in my heart.” Naturally, the singer concluded her post with, “I will always love you.” The two women initially crossed paths all the way back in 1977 at McEntire’s debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry. “I walked in, and they said, ‘We’re gonna cut you back to one song, because Dolly just rolled in to the parking lot and we’re gonna give her one of your songs,” McEntire recalled in an interview with WSM Radio. The singers were never actually introduced at the show, but they went on to meet and form a mutual admiration. Naturally, all those years brought with them plenty of memories and photos to go along with them, a few of which we’ve gathered here to honor their legendary friendship.
Dolly Parton heartily applauded Reba McEntire’s Broadway debut
Like her pal Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire’s impressive career includes several acting stints. In 2001, the “Consider Me Gone” hitmaker took on the titular role in the Broadway revival of “Annie Get Your Gun,” replacing Bernadette Peters for five months and wowing critics in the process. It was McEntire’s first time on the Great White Way, and of course Parton came to cheer her on. The longtime friends reunited backstage and posed for photos, and it’s hard to say who was more thrilled to be there.
Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire made for a very colorful pair
The country stars switched places in 2015 when Reba McEntire attended one of Dolly Parton’s concerts at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The two sold-out shows benefited the Opry Trust Fund and the Dustin Wells Foundation. The longtime pals’ affection for each other was clear, and this photo perfectly captures their wildly different styles, including Parton’s over-the-top love for color and texture. As McEntire noted in her moving tribute, “There will never ever be another you.”
The longtime friends were both honored by the Academy of Country Music
In 2017, both Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire received statuettes for their individual achievements at the 11th Annual ACM Honors. It was only fitting the two friends should be honored together. In a livestreamed 2025 “TalkShopLive!” interview, McEntire described Parton as “my hero,” elaborating, “She is a great person for your children to look up to and to listen to. She’s witty, she’s funny. […] Dolly is always one of the family” (via WKML). The “9 to 5” hitmaker quickly replied, “I always think of Reba as one of those people that I just feel very close to. […] I just love everything you do.”
Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire were gold-medal friends
Never one to begrudge anyone their success, Dolly Parton was thrilled when Reba McEntire was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011. Parton, who had entered the hall 12 years earlier, got the honor of welcoming her friend during the Medallion Ceremony. Afterward, they proudly showed off their hardware. In her Instagram tribute, McEntire wrote, “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.”
The country stars always got a kick out of each other
Having shown off her acting chops in “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias,” Dolly Parton was only too happy to guest-star on an episode of Reba McEntire’s sitcom “Reba” in 2005. Entitled “Reba’s Rules of Real Estate,” it featured the iconic singer-songwriter as Dolly Majors, a hard-edged real-estate exec who comes to inspect Reba Hart’s home before deciding to hire her. Between takes, the longtime pals clearly had fun goofing around.