'I Will Always Love You': A Dive Into Dolly Parton & Reba McEntire's Over-40-Year Friendship

When it comes to the biggest country stars, the late Dolly Parton is one of the top names on that list, and Reba McEntire is right up there with her. Although Parton became a trailblazer in the '70s, the "Fancy" singer rose up around a decade later, and the two eventually formed a tight connection. Following the news of Parton's death on August 25, McEntire paid a heartfelt tribute to her longtime friend on Instagram. "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," she wrote. The "Happy's Place" star continued, "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."

Being a rising female country singer in the '70s and '80s couldn't have been easy, but Parton and McEntire supported each other over the years. What could have been a rivalry turned into a sweet friendship, with nothing but love shared between the two chart-toppers.

Playing at the Grand Ole Opry is a country star's biggest dream, and Reba McEntire got to have two of her wishes come true in 1977. While talking to WSM Radio in March 2025, McEntire recalled of her debut, "I walked in and they said, 'We're going to cut you back to one song, because Dolly [Parton] just rolled into the parking lot and we're gonna give her one of your songs.' I said, 'Okay. Can I meet her?'" She added, "I didn't get to meet her, but she did walk right in front of me. She's the most beautiful lady I've ever seen in my life. Like an angel."

McEntire offered more details about her first encounter with Parton while on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, as shared on Facebook. "She walked in in this beautiful chiffon outfit with these rhinestone butterflies all over them and beautiful hair. I thought, now that's what an angel looks like right there." McEntire had some of the best big hair moments in the '80s and '90s, so perhaps she was inspired by Parton's signature voluminous 'do.

While Reba McEntire didn't get to officially meet Dolly Parton at her Grand Ole Opry debut in 1977, she did get to share the stage with the country legend in 1985. That was a huge year for McEntire, as she was officially welcomed as a member of the longstanding institution on its 60th anniversary. In a pic shared by NBC, Parton is seen in one of her biggest hair moments that had heads turning, with her icy blond curls teased out to there. McEntire, who was posed next to her, had curls just as big. The pals sang two songs together that night, marking a huge occasion for the award-winning singers.

McEntire and Parton had another iconic moment together at the Grand Ole Opry in 2017 while the "I'm a Survivor" singer was being celebrated for the 40th anniversary of her debut. While McEntire was on stage, Parton shocked her with a surprise appearance, telling her, "I could not miss this chance, because I remember 40 years ago ... you were supposed to have two spots on the Opry, and they gave me one of them. So I just wanted to give it back to you tonight, because I'm not even going to take a spot!" (via Facebook). With the help of Carrie Underwood, Parton then presented McEntire with a cake and sang a happy anniversary song on the spot. Not many people can say they've been serenaded by Parton, but being besties with her sure did have special perks.

What happens when two country legends come together to sing a duet? Music magic, of course. In July 2021, Dolly Parton announced on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that she and Reba McEntire had joined forces to record a song. "We redid the song, 'Does He Love You,' that she did years and years ago. We did a new version of it. It turned out really good because I've always wanted to sing with her and don't know why we never did it until now. But we really sounded good together," she shared.

The music video for "Does He Love You," which dropped in October 2021, shows McEntire and Parton in a bitter love triangle, with the latter singing about being the second choice in the relationship. Although the two played the part of dueling women, as soon as the director said, "Cut," they went right back into their easy camaraderie. In an interview with Rolling Stone, McEntire gushed, "Isn't that amazing? Here we are, so far along in our careers [and] we haven't gotten to sing together. I've sang for her, she's sang for me, but we've never done a duet together. I was so thrilled that she said yes." She later returned the favor for her friend, with Parton announcing in January 2026 via Facebook that she had recorded her song "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" with the help of McEntire, Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson, and Queen Latifah. It was Parton's last collab before her untimely death, making the message of the song extremely poignant.

Dolly Parton had been showing off her acting chops since her 1980 film "9 to 5," so it was no surprise when Reba McEntire invited her to guest-star in her eponymous sitcom. Parton appeared on Season 4 of "Reba" as a cutthroat real estate agent looking to hire McEntire's character. Although she was in character, she didn't disappoint with her signature blond hair slightly less big than usual and a face full of glam. One would think that someone as famous as Parton would have required special attention on set, but McEntire later told The Hollywood Reporter, "I love how she treats everyone as equals. When she did the 'Reba' show, everybody was already in love with her, but the way she treated everyone from the actors to the crew behind the scenes, she had them as fans for the rest of their lives."

McEntire shared with People in 2025 that she and Parton spent their time together filming the episode talking about their careers. "I said, 'Are you going to retire?' She said, 'Why would I? What in the world could I do and have as much fun as what I'm doing in this job right now?' And I agree with her 100 percent," McEntire told the publication. She added, "I mean, we've got the greatest job. To entertain people, to lift them up, make them smile." Which is exactly what Parton did, and McEntire continues to do.