In the still hush of a Nashville morning, Brooks & Dunn slipped quietly into the chapel, not to speak, but to let music say what words never could. As they began “The Long Goodbye,” their voices rose like a prayer—Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn blending grief and love into every note. The song wrapped the room in something tender yet heavy, each harmony carrying the ache of loss. Reba McEntire sat close to the casket, her eyes locked on the music as if it were speaking straight to her soul. And when the final note faded, the air itself seemed to hold its breath. The silence that followed wasn’t empty—it was sacred, thick with the weight of a farewell nobody wanted to face.