The 2026 Emmy Awards paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton with a special tribute from Sally Field, followed by a performance of “Appalachian Memories” by Reba McEntire, a fitting tribute to the late pop culture legend.
“I adored her from day one. How could you not? She was genuine. Humble, supportive. Blisteringly funny, with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide,” Field said in her opening remarks. “She was a humanitarian whose contributions have made a profound difference in the lives of so many in her home state and across our country. God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend.”
The Emmys tribute is the latest remembrance of Parton’s passing at the age of 80. Since her death on August 25th, plans have been advanced to rename the Nashville airport in her honor, and artists including Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, and Vin Diesel have released musical tributes.
Check out the full list of winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards. Here’s where to stream some of Parton’s greatest movie and TV performances.
Sally Field's tribute to the late Dolly Parton, her Steel Magnolias co-star, was so sweet.
"If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton. She was genuine and humble, supportive, and blisteringly funny, with a bodied sense of humor that would send any… pic.twitter.com/xKa34RCOHi
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) September 15, 2026
Reba McEntire (The CW’s Reba/Happy’s Place) covers Appalachian Memories
by her last bestie, Dolly Parton#Emmys pic.twitter.com/Yxel6V0U8E— iJermaine360 LIVE ~ (good luck, Tim Cook!) (@iJermaine360) September 15, 2026
