Reba McEntire is saying goodbye to her longtime friend Dolly Parton, and her words are touching country music fans everywhere.

Following news of Dolly’s death at 80, Reba shared photographs from their decades-long friendship and remembered the woman she affectionately called her “buddy.”

Reba thanked Dolly for the love, music and generosity she gave throughout her life, writing that “there will never ever be another you.”

But perhaps the most emotional part came when Reba reflected on their personal friendship.

She said she would never forget the first time they met — or their final conversation, a memory she said she would carry with love in her heart.

Reba ended her farewell with three especially fitting words:

“I will always love you.”

For fans who watched these two country legends share stages, friendship and memories for more than four decades, it was a heartbreaking goodbye.

Dolly may be gone, but as Reba made clear, the music and memories she left behind will never disappear.