Dolly Parton is All Smiles in Throwback Photo With 'True Friend' Willie Nelson

The 'king and queen of country' have been friends for a LONG time.

Dolly Parton is celebrating one of her 'true' friends, fellow country superstar Willie Nelson.

The two are longtime friends and collaborators, with Nelson having starred in Parton's film projects and duetted on a number of occasions with the "9 to 5" singer throughout the years.

Now, she's honoring her longtime friend with a sweet Instagram post dedicated to the "On the Road Again" singer.

Parton uploaded a photo of the pair from 1987 when Nelson appeared on her shortlived variety series Dolly.

Parton, 77, wore a denim shirt over a white tee, a matching ribbon fixed in her curly blonde locks.

Her hand rested on Nelson's, 89, shoulder, while his rested on her side. He wore a black graphic tee and kept his long hair down.

"There’s nothing like a true friend ❤️ @willienelsonofficial," Parton captioned the sweet pic on the social media platform, which features the much younger duo pressed cheek to cheek as they smiled for the camera.

Many of Parton's followers were briefly startled by the post, scared it was instead a tribute in memory of Nelson who is, thankfully, very much alive. "Scared me with this Dolly 😮," many comments told her.

"King and Queen of country right there. ❤️❤️❤️," another commenter complimented, while someone similarly wrote, "The mother and father of country music ❤️❤️❤️."

"I love the both of you so much. I've been listening to y'all since I was born! Literally.❤️," another comment read.

"Yes…true friends are priceless ♥️🥰♥️," agreed another.

As Parton's real-life goddaughter Miley Cyrus once sang as Parton's fictitious goddaughter Miley Stewart AKA Hannah Montana, "You're a true friend, you're here 'til the end..." And we love to see such a heartfelt friendship persevere year after year!