Emmys Honor Dolly Parton with Reba McEntire Performance and Tribute to Her Wit

- Share on Facebook - Share on X - Google Preferred - Share to Flipboard - Show additional share options

- Share on LinkedIn - Share on Pinterest - Share on Reddit - Share on Tumblr - Share on Whats App - Send an Email - Print the Article - Post a Comment

A true angel, a supportive co-star and a “blisteringly” hilarious woman, whose sense of humor “would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide” — that’s how actress Sally Field sweetly remembered late icon Dolly Parton during a touching tribute at the Emmys.

“If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one – Dolly Parton,” Field said during a tribute segment to Parton, who died Aug. 25 in Nashville. “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, though we lived very far apart.”

Related Stories

TV

Law Roach Addresses Heated Tyra Banks Exchange on 'Project Runway': "I'm Not Afraid to Disagree"

TV

Sally Field Warns "Our Voices Matter" in Emmys Win Amid Pending Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

“I adored her from day one. How could you not?” Field continued. “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.”

Field noted that she didn’t initially realize what a “real giant” Parton was beyond her talent as a musician and actress.

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

Country singer Reba McEntire then took over the stage, performing a rendition of Parton’s 1983 song “Appalachian Memories.” Parton performed the track at the 1983 Emmys, and in an archival clip from the ceremony, screened before McEntire’s performance, she explained how the track was inspired by her treasured upbringing in the Smoky Mountains.

“I’ve written a song that touches me very deep and I’m sure that in your own way, you certainly will relate to this,” Parton said in the footage. “This song is very important to me and I hope you like it. And if you don’t like it, I would rather not hear about it later, OK?”

McEntire and Parton were close pals, and following news of Parton’s death, at the age of 80 following a battle with cancer, McEntire took to Instagram to share her grief. “Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge, huge heart,” McEntire wrote. “There will never ever be another you.”

The Emmys aired live on NBC and Peacock. Click here to see the winners , and see the red carpet arrivals .

Read More About:

- Awards - Country Music - Dolly Parton - Emmy Awards - music - Reba McEntire - Sally Field

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

Subscribe

Sign Up

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Rick Rubin

Jay-Z Reflects on “Manifesting” His Life on Early Records at ‘Jay-Z in 8’ World Premiere

_Originally reported by [Hollywood Reporter Music](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/emmys-dolly-parton-tribute-reba-mcentire-sally-field-1236701655/)._