Reba McEntire Pays Tribute to Close Friend Dolly Parton at 2026 Emmys

Hollywood's biggest night became a moment of collective mourning and celebration for a beloved icon. From the stage to social media, tributes to Dolly Parton flowed freely at this year's ceremony.

Reba McEntire honored her late friend and country music icon Dolly Parton with a stirring tribute at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14.

For the performance, McEntire selected Parton's 1983 song "Appalachian Memories."

As she wrapped up the number, the "I'm a Survivor" singer said, "I love you, Dolly. So much." Beyond her vocals, McEntire also paid homage to Parton through her wardrobe choices for the evening.

She commanded the stage in a floor-length white gown covered in shimmering crystal beadwork that caught the light with every movement, its long sleeves and plunging neckline lending the silhouette an elegant, ethereal quality.

McEntire styled her signature red hair in soft, voluminous curls with bangs, accessorizing with dangling diamond earrings and a delicate butterfly-shaped ring — a fitting nod, given the butterfly's long association with Parton's personal brand and legacy.

Viewers were visibly moved by the performance.

"I don't know how Reba made it through that beautiful song. Dolly is smiling down from heaven.❤️," one person wrote. "Dolly is smiling from above, probably getting ready to compliment Reba's outfit and voice," another quipped.

"I have never cried this much for a celebrity in my life but, she was more than just a celebrity, Dolly was love. I will be crying over her for the rest of my life. Please rest in peace Dolly," a third shared.

Someone else added, "Thank you Mrs. Reba for the beautiful tribute. Love and miss you Dolly."

Before McEntire took the stage, Emmy nominee Sally Field also shared a message in memory of Parton. "If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton," the actress began.

"It was my great good fortune to have worked with Dolly in a film called 'Steel Magnolias,' and over the years, I never stopped loving her," she continued. "Though we lived very far apart, I adored her from day one. How could you not?"

"She was genuine and humble, supportive, and blisteringly funny, with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide. I couldn't see then what a real giant Dolly was — not just as an artist, but as a human," Field said.

"She was a humanitarian whose contributions had made a profound difference in the lives of so many in her home state of Tennessee and across our country," Field added. "God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever."

Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, following a brief battle with an undisclosed form of cancer in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80.

The country legend shared a decades-long history with the Emmys. She was first nominated in 1978 for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music, for her appearance in Cher's TV special "Cher… Special."

Her TV movie "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love," which she executive produced, earned a nomination for Outstanding Television Movie in 2017.

She was nominated in the same category again in 2020, this time for executive producing "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: These Old Bones." Parton claimed her first and only Emmy win in 2021, taking home Outstanding Television Movie for executive producing "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square."

Her final nomination came in 2023, when her film "Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas" was recognized in the Outstanding Television Movie category.