Reba McEntire is sharing a story that every fan of country music will feel in their chest. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Reba revealed that Dolly Parton called her at the end of July, but she was in a meeting and missed it. She assumed there would be another chance to talk. Dolly died August 25 at 80 after a brief, private battle with cancer, and that call never got returned.“I’ll never know why she called me,”Reba said.
Reba did find a way to say goodbye. She took the Emmy Awards stage to perform“Appalachian Memories”in Dolly’s honor, a tribute that hit even harder once fans learned how close the two came to one more conversation. Dolly was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park beside her husband, Carl Dean, and in the weeks since, headlines about a lawsuit and family tensions have kept her name in the news.
What makes this story stick is how ordinary the mistake was. Busy day, missed call, best intentions. Most of us have a version of it. Reba’s advice is baked into the regret itself: reach out now, not later. Who’s the person you’ve been meaning to call? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.