Reba McEntire honored late country music icon Dolly Parton in more than one way at the 2026 Emmy Awards.
Videos by Wide Open Country
During her performance at the 78th annual awards ceremony, Reba did her own rendition of Parton's 1983 smash hit Appalachian Memories. But Reba did not only honor the Jolene creator through song.
Reba Honors Dolly Parton at 2026 Emmys
According to a post from The Dolly Archive on Instagram, McEntire also donned pieces from Parton's luxurious closet. Reba was "loaned" one of the country music icon's butterfly rings that came from her "personal collection." As well as the earrings that Parton wore in the music video that she and Reba shot for "Does He Love You?"
Before Reba lit up the stage with her performance, Sally Fields shared some kind words about Parton. In her statement, Fields mourned the loss of one of the true "angels on earth."
"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, I adored her from day one. How could you not?" Fields said, as caught by PEOPLE.
"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."
Parton dedicated much of her life to global philanthropy and humanitarian work. In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This donation helped fund the early scientific research that led to the development of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.
She also founded the Imagination Library in 1995. A flagship program that mails free books to children every month from birth to age five. The program has gifted over 300 million books worldwide.
Parton passed away in August at 80 years old. Reps for the singer said that she passed away after a "brief battle with cancer."
