Tributes to the late Dolly Parton are still coming. They most likely will continue for a very long time. Not surprisingly, there was a truly poignant one from Reba McEntire at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14. Host Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU straightforwardly introduced the segment. Per Country Now, she said, "On August 25, we lost a piece of America's heart, Dolly Parton."
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Another icon, Sally Field, pitched in as well. Field starred in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias alongside Parton and several other renowned female actresses. Field let her emotions flow freely onstage. She expressed a similar sentiment. "If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one, Dolly Parton." Field went on to say, "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?"
"What a Real Giant Dolly Was"
Sally Field could scarcely say enough about Parton. Her emotional speech continued this way. "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. 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 ended with this line. "God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever."
Reba Out Came Next
Reba McEntire then took the stage. She was no less impactful than Field. Dressed in a regal white gown, she sang "Appalachian Memories" in Dolly Parton's honor. The song comes from the "Jolene" singer's Burlap & Satin LP from the early 1980s. McEntire gave the performance her all, probably leaving the audience touched and saddened.
When she finished, McEntire simply stated, "I love you, Dolly." Per the outlet, the star was an ideal selection to celebrate Parton. McEntire drew upon "her own deep friendship and admiration for the country music icon to the emotional tribute."
