Dolly Parton was honored at the 2026 Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, weeks after the country icon died from cancer at age 80 on Aug. 25. The tribute at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre featured an emotional speech from Sally Field and a performance by Reba McEntire . Sally Field remembered Dolly Parton as her friend and former co star from Steel Magnolias, calling Parton genuine, humble, supportive, and brilliantly funny. Field also said she did not initially understand how extraordinary Parton was, both as an artist and as a person, before closing with a heartfelt blessing for her late friend. How Did the Emmys Honor Dolly? Reba McEntire performed “Appalachian Memories,” Dolly Parton’s 1983 song, while the ceremony kept the tribute intentionally restrained. Emmy producer Jesse Collins told Variety on Sept. 10 that the Mariska Hargitay hosted broadcast was planned as a beautiful tribute rather than an oversized spectacle. Dolly Parton earned five Emmy nominations and won Outstanding Television Movie in 2021 for Christmas on the Square. Parton’s niece, Jada Star, told Extra that the singer kept her cancer diagnosis private because she did not want to worry anyone, while the family has found comfort in the global tributes and in Parton’s Imagination Library, her nonprofit program that sends free books to children under age five.