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<\/p>\nLainey Wilson Remembers Her Final Phone Call With Dolly Parton \u2014 A Conversation She\u2019ll Carry Forever<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For millions of people, Dolly Parton was a country music legend whose songs became part of the soundtrack of their lives. But for Lainey Wilson, Dolly eventually became something even more personal: a mentor, an inspiration and a friend.<\/p>\n
Following Dolly Parton\u2019s death at age 80 on August 25, Lainey shared an emotional tribute reflecting on their relationship and one of the final conversations they had together.<\/p>\n
It was a phone call that, at the time, may have seemed like another conversation between two friends. Now, it has become a memory Lainey will carry with her for the rest of her life. <\/p>\n
More Than a Conversation About Music<\/p>\n
Lainey revealed that Dolly called her only a few weeks before her death.<\/p>\n
Considering the careers of the two women, it would be easy to imagine that their conversation centered entirely around songs, albums and the music industry.<\/p>\n
But it went much deeper.<\/p>\n
The two women talked about the sacrifices that come with building a career, the importance of relationships and the people they loved.<\/p>\n
Dolly spoke about her late husband, Carl Dean, while Lainey discussed her own husband, former NFL player Devlin \u201cDuck\u201d Hodges.<\/p>\n
Dolly even offered Lainey some relationship advice.<\/p>\n
Her message was simple but meaningful: while it was important that Duck allowed Lainey to remain herself, Lainey also needed to make sure that she gave him the same freedom to be himself.<\/p>\n
It was the kind of practical wisdom Dolly became known for \u2014 straightforward, warm and rooted in decades of life experience. <\/p>\n
Dolly Had Advice About Faith, Too<\/p>\n
Their conversation eventually turned toward faith.<\/p>\n
Lainey recalled Dolly encouraging her to take her time while reading the Bible, particularly when approaching the Book of Revelation.<\/p>\n
Dolly suggested returning to Psalms when she needed a moment to breathe.<\/p>\n
For Lainey, those words became another example of how their friendship had grown far beyond the professional relationship between two successful performers.<\/p>\n
They could discuss music one moment and faith, marriage and life the next.<\/p>\n
Lainey had admired Dolly long before the two women became friends. She described feeling almost as though Dolly had been her friend even before they actually met \u2014 something many Dolly fans may understand.<\/p>\n
Dolly had an unusual ability to make people feel connected to her despite her enormous fame. <\/p>\n
From Inspiration to Friendship<\/p>\n
Long before Lainey became one of country music\u2019s recognizable stars, Dolly was already one of the people she looked toward for inspiration.<\/p>\n
Lainey moved to Nashville in 2011 determined to build a career in country music.<\/p>\n
Success did not arrive immediately.<\/p>\n
She spent years pursuing her dream, including a period living in a camper trailer while trying to establish herself in Nashville. She faced rejection before eventually breaking through and reaching No. 1 on Billboard\u2019s Country Airplay chart with \u201cThings a Man Oughta Know\u201d in 2021.<\/p>\n
Through those difficult years, Dolly represented the kind of artist Lainey hoped to become \u2014 not simply because of her success, but because of the way Dolly handled that success.<\/p>\n
Lainey has previously described asking herself a simple question when facing decisions:<\/p>\n
What would Dolly do?<\/p>\n
Eventually, the woman she had admired from afar became someone she could actually work with and learn from. <\/p>\n
Sharing a Studio With Her Hero<\/p>\n
One particularly meaningful chapter came when Lainey and Dolly recorded together.<\/p>\n
The pair worked on a version of \u201cMama He\u2019s Crazy\u201d for a tribute project honoring The Judds.<\/p>\n
For someone who had spent years looking up to Dolly, being in the studio with her was almost surreal.<\/p>\n
But their relationship became about more than recording music.<\/p>\n
There was conversation, humor and mentorship.<\/p>\n
Lainey has spoken about Dolly\u2019s ability to approach difficult decisions and public life with grace \u2014 something she clearly hoped to carry into her own career.<\/p>\n
That makes their final phone call even more significant.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t simply a superstar giving advice to a younger performer.<\/p>\n
It was one friend sharing wisdom with another.<\/p>\n
A Legacy That Continues<\/p>\n
During their final conversation, Lainey recalled Dolly saying that she felt as though she still wasn\u2019t finished.<\/p>\n
In one sense, Dolly\u2019s life has ended.<\/p>\n
But in another, Lainey believes Dolly was right.<\/p>\n
Her work isn\u2019t finished.<\/p>\n
Her songs will continue playing. Younger artists will continue discovering her music. Generations of performers will continue learning from the career she built, and countless people will remember her humor, generosity and unmistakable personality.<\/p>\n
For Lainey, Dolly\u2019s influence will be especially personal.<\/p>\n
The advice from that final conversation \u2014 about love, relationships, faith and life \u2014 is something she can carry forward.<\/p>\n
And perhaps that is one of the most powerful forms of legacy anyone can leave behind.<\/p>\n
Not simply awards.<\/p>\n
Not simply hit records.<\/p>\n
But words and moments that remain with people long after a conversation ends.<\/p>\n
Lainey ended her tribute by expressing her gratitude for Dolly\u2019s friendship and looking forward to the day when, according to her faith, they might meet again.<\/p>\n
For now, she is holding onto the memories.<\/p>\n
And one phone call that once lasted only a short time has become something priceless: a final conversation with a friend she will never forget. \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lainey Wilson Remembers Her Final Phone Call With Dolly Parton \u2014 A Conversation She\u2019ll Carry Forever For millions of people, Dolly Parton was a country music legend whose songs became part of the soundtrack of their lives. But for Lainey Wilson, Dolly eventually became something even more personal: a mentor, an inspiration and a friend. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"views":117,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3286"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3297,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions\/3297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}