Reba McEntire performed a tribute to Dolly Parton at the 2026 Emmy Awards
Reba was introduced by Parton’s “Steel Magnolias” co-star Sally Field.
The 2026 Emmy Awards paid tribute on Monday night to one of the most beloved entertainers in American history as Reba McEntire took the stage to perform Dolly Parton’s 1983 song “Appalachian Memories” in honor of the late country legend. Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
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Field onstage at the 2026 Emmys.
The tribute was introduced by Sally Field, who starred alongside Parton in the 1989 film “Steel Magnolias.” Field was also present at the television awards ceremony in her own right, having won an Emmy in the lead actress in a limited or anthology series category for Netflix’s “Remarkably Bright Creatures.”
“I couldn’t see then what a giant Dolly was, not just as an artist but as a human,” Field said after working with her on ‘Steel Magnolias.’ “She was a humanitarian whose contributions made a profound difference in the lives of her home state of Tennessee and across our country.”
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Parton and Field at the New York premiere of Steel Magnolias in 1989.
Both women issued public condolences immediately after Parton’s death was announced in August. Field shared a photo from the “Steel Magnolias” set to her Instagram profile, writing in the caption, “If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one. Dolly Parton. There will never be another.”
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McEntire performing Parton’s song onstage during the Emmys.
McEntire and Parton were close friends for decades, collaborating on music including a 2021 acoustic reworking of McEntire’s classic hit “Does He Love You.” The release marked the first recorded duet between the two country music icons. “Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge, huge heart. There will never ever be another you,” McEntire wrote on her Instagram page in August. “We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang.”
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Parton and McEntire on the set of Reba in 2005.
McEntire, currently starring in the NBC sitcom “Happy’s Place,” has spoken often about what Parton meant to her both personally and professionally. “I came from a very strong pack of women: my grandmother, my aunts, my cousins, my sisters, my teachers,” she told NBC Insider in 2025. “I’m very blessed to be able to have gotten to spend time with strong women. That’s why I gravitate to people like Dolly Parton. I want to continue to learn.”
