Country Music Legend Pays Tribute to Her Best Friend of More Than 60 Years in an Emotional Throwback
Dolly Parton is celebrating a friendship that has lasted a lifetime.
To mark National Best Friends Day on Monday, June 8, the country icon shared a sweet throwback photo with her longtime best friend, Judy Ogle, along with a heartfelt message about everything Ogle has meant to her, on Instagram.
In the caption, Parton credited Ogle with carrying a little piece of their home state of Tennessee with her throughout her career. She wrote that Ogle traveled with her, worked as her assistant and was always there when she needed her, and that the two shared years of adventures and laughs along the way.
"I can't imagine my years on the road (or my life) without her," Parton wrote alongside the throwback photo of the pair in sunglasses. Fans flooded the post with love, pushing it past 26,000 likes within an hour.
Inside Dolly and Judy's Decades-Long Friendship
Parton and Ogle's bond goes all the way back to childhood. The two met as kids in Tennessee, growing up together long before Parton became a superstar, and have stayed close for more than six decades. Ogle has been a steady behind-the-scenes presence throughout Parton's career, sometimes traveling with her to quiet, remote spots so the singer can work far from the spotlight.
For fans, the tribute is a sweet reminder that even one of the most famous women in the world treasures the same thing the rest of us do: a friend who has been there since the very beginning.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 2:12 PM.