Reese Witherspoon has pulled back the curtain on the warm personal bond she shared with Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at the age of 80 after a secret battle with cancer.
While reeling from the news, Witherspoon, 50, revealed that the Queen of Country helped her to her Oscar win 20 years ago for Walk the Line.
Witherspoon played country star June Carter in the 2005 biopic, which was led by Joaquin Phoenix in the role of her husband Johnny Cash.
Parton enjoyed a glittering six-decade country music career that overlapped with those of Cash and Carter, whom she knew personally.
As a result, she was in a prime position to coach Witherspoon in portraying Carter, who had died in 2003 at the age of 73.
“I count my lucky stars that I called Dolly my girlfriend,” Witherspoon wrote on Instagram. “When I played June Carter Cash on Walk the Line, she took me out to dinner and told me stories about how June Carter charmed everyone in country music.”
Reese Witherspoon has pulled back the curtain on the warm personal bond she shared with Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80. Above are the two in 2019
She added, “Dolly gave me the courage to put my whole mind into that performance and showed me how lucky I was to be a storyteller.” Throughout my career, she sent me little notes of encouragement and support, telling me to be the light in people’s lives and listen to my angels. Always signed: “I will always love you.”’
Parton wrote her classic song I Will Always Love You in 1973 and refused to let Elvis Presley record a cover because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, insisted she relinquish the publishing rights.
Her determination to hold onto the copyright was confirmed when Whitney Houston recorded the song for her 1992 film The Bodyguard, producing a smash hit that saw the soundtrack album go 19 times platinum.
“Dolly, I miss you already,” Witherspoon wrote. “Your talent, your wisdom and your beautiful spirit illuminated our lives. Go float with your angels…. We will always love you.’
Parton called Witherspoon “a dear friend of mine” in 2014 and revealed that she often received suggestions that the Legally Blonde star play her in a biopic.
“We were talking about my life story and I said, ‘Well, people always say to me, ‘Why don’t you get Reese Witherspoon?'” Parton said of Lorraine.
“And I always say, ‘Her boobs aren’t big enough! I think she’s too small to handle this! I wouldn’t do that to her,'” the Steel Magnolias star joked.
Witherspoon revealed a year ago that Parton had inspired her own dreams of going into showbiz when she was a kindergartener in Nashville.
“I count my lucky stars that I called Dolly my friend,” Witherspoon wrote as he reeled from the news of the Queen of Country’s death
Witherspoon, 50, revealed the I Will Always Love You hitmaker helped her to her Oscar win 20 years ago for Walk the Line
Witherspoon played country singer June Carter in the 2005 biopic, which was led by Joaquin Phoenix in the role of her husband Johnny Cash.
Witherspoon, pictured with Parton in 2019, wrote: ‘Dolly gave me the courage to put my whole mind into that performance and showed me how lucky I was to be a storyteller’
“And I was always a bit of a loner, I always sang to myself and I had big dreams,” Witherspoon said during an interview with Parton for Celebrities up close.
‘And my gym teacher said to me, ‘Reesie, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ And I said, ‘I’m going to be Dolly Parton!'” she said as Parton roared with laughter.
‘And I meant it. I didn’t even blink. And she said, “You’re going to be Dolly Parton?” I said, “Mmm-hmm. I’m going to be famous just like Miss Dolly Parton, and she’s from Tennessee, and if she can do it, then so can I.”
When Witherspoon co-founded her production company Hello Sunshine in 2016 with the aim of creating women-focused projects, she visited Parton’s home and was inundated with encouragement and offers of help.
As news spread of Parton’s death on Tuesday, it emerged that she had been privately battling cancer, although the specific strain was not made public.
Parton will be buried next to her husband of more than half a century, Carl Dean, at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville.
The news was confirmed on Wednesday by Parton’s cousin Bryan Seaver, who announced the country icon’s death at the age of 80 the day before, via TMZ.
Parton is pictured with Cash (left) and Ronnie Milsap (right) as he is honored as Entertainer of the Year at the 1978 Country Music Association Awards
Seaver, who acted as Parton’s head of security, specified that she will be buried in the same mausoleum that houses her husband’s remains.
Dean died at the age of 82 from causes that remained private in March 2025, two months before what would have been his and Parton’s 59th wedding anniversary.
Seaver shared Wednesday that Parton will be buried in a comfortable cotton dress, as well as a pair of high heels that have become part of her signature look.
Often called the Queen of Country, Parton enjoyed an illustrious music career spanning six decades and was perhaps best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
Her death followed months of health problems that saw her withdraw from a series of public appearances, fueling fans’ fears for her well-being.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had stated that she still had “so many things I want to accomplish” and vowed to “keep working as long as I can to see everything come to life,” via People.
She explained that she was struggling with “some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.”
