It’s been nearly three years since the world lost Kenny Rogers, but his dear friend and musical partner Dolly Parton still thinks of him often.
“I miss him so much,” Parton, 77, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview about her dear friend, who died of natural causes at 81 in March of 2020. “I’ve lost so many wonderful people in my life in the last few years. But Kenny — he was very, very dear and special and I never get tired of hearing us sing, all the years that we were on stage together.”
One of the songs that Parton says she has the best memories of singing with Rogers on is “Islands in the Stream,” the dynamic duet that gave the pair a No. 1 hit on the pop charts in 1983.
“You know how sometimes you get tired of singing something because it just becomes routine?” she questions with a laugh about “Islands in the Stream,” which was written by Bee Gees’ members Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb. “But I would always lighten up when that particular song was due in the setlist. It just always made everybody feel so good in the audience and the audience always loved singing it. I never got tired of Kenny’s voice.”
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In 2013, Parton and Rogers came together to record “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” a heartfelt song written by Ryan Hanna King, Don Schlitz and Caitlyn Smith that touched on the enduring friendship between the two country music legends.
“[We recorded that song] just in time too, honestly,” says Parton, referring to the fact that Rogers officially retired for health reasons in 2018. “And now I can’t hardly sing it.”
Indeed, the song’s message has never rung truer to Parton as it does now.
“You can make new friends that feel like old friends, but there’s just something about the people that have spent years together,” Parton explains during an interview touting her new line of box mix Duncan Hines treats. “You have a history, and you learn about each other, inside and out. I knew Kenny very well. We’re very similar. We’re like brother and sister really.”
She draws in a deep breath.
“He’s up there singing,” she says quietly. “I know that.”
JB Rowland, courtesy Dolly Parton
Nevertheless, Parton herself always seems to be busy making new friends, as she is currently working on a new album that has her collaborating with a slew of legendary artists such as Elton John, Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks. The country music hitmaker also recently announced plans to collaborate for the first time with fellow musical legend Dionne Warwick on a gospel duet entitled ‘Peace Like a River.”
“I’ve done a lot of iconic songs with a lot of iconic singers,” says Parton, whose solo career has included 26 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country charts, including “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5.”
And according to Parton, there is no better time than the present for her to partake in these sorts of collaborations.
“I might as well do everything I could possibly cram into this year,” Parton, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in November, tells PEOPLE with a laugh. “I’m not one to let time go to waste. I’m not one to let anything valuable go to waste if I can help it.”
