Reese Witherspoon has pulled back the curtain on the warm personal bond she shared with Dolly Parton, who died aged 80 on Tuesday after a secret cancer battle.While reeling from the news, Witherspoon, 50, disclosed that the Queen of Country helped shepherd her to her Oscar win two decades 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 dazzling six-decade country music career that overlapped with those of Cash and Carter, whom she knew personally.As a consequence, she was in a prime position to coach Witherspoon in how to portray Carter, who had died in 2003 at the age of 73. 'I count my lucky stars that I called Dolly my friend,' Witherspoon wrote on Instagram. 'When I was playing June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, she took me to dinner and told me stories of 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 aged 80 on Tuesday, Above, the two in 2019She added: 'Dolly gave me the courage to put my whole spirit into that performance and made me see how lucky I was to be a storyteller. Throughout my entire 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 famously refused to allow Elvis Presley to record a cover because his manager Colonel Tom Parker insisted that she relinquish the publishing rights.Her determination to hold onto the copyright was vindicated when Whitney Houston recorded the song for her 1992 film The Bodyguard, producing a thunderous hit that enabled the soundtrack album to go 19 times platinum.'Dolly, I miss you already,' wrote Witherspoon. 'Your talent, your wisdom and your beautiful spirit lit up our lives. Go soar with your angels…. We will always love you.'Parton called Witherspoon 'a dear friend of mine' in 2014 and revealed she often received suggestions that the Legally Blonde star play her in a biopic.'We were talking about my life story, and I went: "Well people always say to me: 'Why don't you get Reese Witherspoon?'"' Parton said on Lorraine. 'And I always say: "Her boobs ain't big enough! I think she's too little to rag this around! I wouldn't put that on her,"' the Steel Magnolias star quipped.Witherspoon revealed a year ago that Parton had inspired her own dreams of entering showbiz back when she was a kindergartener in Nashville. 'I count my lucky stars that I called Dolly my friend,' Witherspoon wrote while reeling from the news of the Queen of Country's death Witherspoon, 50, disclosed that the I Will Always Love You hitmaker helped shepherd her to her Oscar win two decades ago for Walk the Line Witherspoon played country songstress 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 spirit into that performance and made me see how lucky I was to be a storyteller''And I always was kind of loner and I was always singing to myself and I had big dreams,' Witherspoon said while interviewing Parton for Celebs Up Close.'And my PE teacher said to me: "Reesie, what do you wanna be when you grow up?" And I said: "I'm gonna be Dolly Parton!"' she said as Parton roared with laughter. 'And I meant it. I did not even blink. And she said: "You're gonna be Dolly Parton?" I said: "Mmm-hmm. I'm gonna be famous like Miss Dolly Parton, and she's from Tennessee, and if she can do it then I can do it."'When Witherspoon co-founded her production company Hello Sunshine in 2016 with the goal of creating female-centric projects, she paid a visit to Parton's home and found herself showered with encouragement and offers of help.As news spread of Parton's passing Tuesday, it emerged that she had been privately battling cancer, although the specific strain was left undisclosed.Parton will be buried beside her husband of over half a century, Carl Dean, at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville.The news was confirmed Wednesday by Parton's nephew Bryan Seaver, who announced the country icon's death at the age of 80 the previous day, via TMZ. Parton is pictured with Cash (left) and Ronnie Milsap (right) while being honored as entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awrds in 1978Seaver, who acted as Parton's head of security, specified that she will be laid to rest in the same mausoleum that houses her husband's remains.Dean died aged 82 of causes that have 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 interred in a comfortable cotton dress, as well as a pair of the high heels that became part of her trademark look.Often referred to as the Queen of Country, Parton enjoyed an illustrious music career spanning six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5. Her passing came after months of health woes that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling fan fears for her wellbeing. In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had declared she still had 'so many things I want to achieve' and vowed to continue 'working as long as I can to see everything come to life,' via People.She explained that she had been grappling with 'some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.'