Reba McEntire is mourning the loss of Dolly Parton with a deeply personal tribute, remembering the country music icon as a longtime friend and thanking her for the love and music she shared with the world.
McEntire took to Instagram Tuesday, shortly after Parton’s death was announced, sharing a series of photos spanning their more than 40-year friendship.
“Well, I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater side,” McEntire wrote.
The “Fancy” singer went on to reflect on Parton’s enormous impact, writing, “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,” she added, saying she and others would continue to cherish “every memory and every note” Parton played and sang.
McEntire also shared an especially personal message about what she believes awaits Parton after death.
“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,” McEntire wrote.
Then came one of the most intimate parts of the tribute.
“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,” McEntire said before signing off, “I will always love you, Reba.”
McEntire and Parton first met in the late 1970s and maintained a friendship that stretched across decades of country music history.
Their relationship also included several professional collaborations. Parton guest-starred on McEntire’s sitcom Reba in 2005, while the pair later co-hosted the CMA Awards with Carrie Underwood in 2019.
In 2021, they reunited musically to record a stripped-down acoustic version of McEntire’s 1993 hit “Does He Love You.”
McEntire had previously spoken with admiration about her friend. In 2022, she described Parton as uniquely creative, witty, spunky and feisty, while praising what she called her enormous heart and generosity.
That admiration makes her latest tribute especially poignant.
Parton died Tuesday at 80 after being admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with kidney and autoimmune issues. Four days before her death, she had spoken publicly about her ongoing health struggles, telling PEOPLE that she was still recovering but continued working toward projects she wanted to bring to life.
For McEntire, however, the farewell was less about Parton’s career achievements and more about the person behind them: a friend whose presence shaped more than four decades of her life.
And her message made one thing unmistakable — McEntire believes Dolly Parton was truly one of a kind.
