At the age of 78, Dolly Parton finally revealed the truth about her father’s tragic death, the story behind which left fans heartbroken…

NO GOODBYE: What Dolly Parton Regrets Most About Her Last Conversation With Her Father — “I Thought There’d Be More Time” 💔

In a tender and rarely shared moment, Dolly Parton has opened up about one of the deepest regrets of her life — the final conversation she had with her beloved father, Robert Lee Parton, and the painful truth that she never got to say goodbye.

For all the glitter, rhinestones, and worldwide fame, Dolly has always been grounded by one thing: her family. And at the heart of that family was her hardworking father — a quiet man with calloused hands, deep pride, and a fierce love for his children.

“My daddy didn’t have much education,” Dolly once said, “but he was the smartest man I ever knew. And he worked harder than anyone to provide for us.”

Though Robert Lee Parton lived humbly in the hills of East Tennessee, he was fiercely protective of his famous daughter — even if he didn’t always show it in words. Dolly has long shared that he was proud of her success, even if he rarely said it aloud. “He’d tell everyone else about me,” she said with a smile, “but he’d never say much to me directly. That was just his way.”

But it was during her recent reflection that Dolly revealed the quiet heartbreak she still carries: the last time she spoke to her father, she didn’t know it would be the last.

“It was just a normal visit,” she said softly. “We talked about the weather, about the farm. He teased me like he always did. I thought I’d see him again next week. I didn’t say the things I should’ve said.”

A few days later, he was gone.

Dolly never got to tell him one more time how much he meant to her. She never got to hold his hand and thank him for every sacrifice he made, for every long day he worked so his twelve children could eat. She never got to hear him say, “I’m proud of you” — though she knows, in her heart, he always was.

“What I regret most,” she admitted, “is thinking there’d be more time. We always think there will be. But there wasn’t.”

Since his passing, Dolly has paid tribute to her father in quiet, personal ways. One of the most poignant? The Imagination Library — a free book-gifting program for children she created in his honor. “Daddy couldn’t read or write,” she once said. “That’s why I do this — so other children will have opportunities he never had.”

Now, years later, she holds on to the memories, the lessons, and the unspoken love that bound them together.

“I know he’s still with me,” Dolly said. “But I wish I had one more minute. Just to say what I didn’t. Just to say… goodbye.”

Sometimes, even legends carry the heaviest kinds of silence.