Watch Reba McEntire Deliver Emotional Tribute To Late Legend Dolly Parton

Reba McEntire performed a moving tribute to her longtime friend and late country legend Dolly Parton.

McEntire, 71, took the stage during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Tuesday evening (September 14). The show took place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, California. She performed Parton's 1980's classic, "Appalachian Memories," in the East Tennessee-born icon's honor. Parton's representatives confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE on August 25, "after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones." She was 80. Parton has since been laid to rest in a private service for immediate family beside husband Carl Dean. Parton and Dean were married for nearly six decades. Dead died in March 2025. He was 82.

Parton's loss was quickly mourned in an outpouring of emotional tributes, including McEntire's performance. Actress Sally Field, who starred alongside Parton in Steel Magnolias in the late '80s, honored Parton ahead of McEntire's rendition of "Appalachian Memories."

"If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton," Field said. "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? 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 have made a profound difference in the lives of so many in her home state of Tennessee, and across our country. God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever."

Parton spoke about "Appalachian Memories" in a clip that played before McEntire took the stage.

"I'm very, very proud of the fact that I had the kind of parents that I did and grew up in the Smoky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains," Parton said in 1983. "And I have written a song that touches me very deep. And I'm sure that in your own way that you certainly will relate to this. This song, like I say, is very important to me, and I hope you like it. And if you don't like it, well, if you don't mind, I would rather not hear about it later, OK?" Parton said with a laugh. "It's a song that I call 'Appalachian Memories.'"

McEntire delivered a stunning performance in a wardrobe that included special nods to Parton. McEntire wore a custom sequined gown (opting for white instead of black to avoid mourning, plus the eye-catching sequins Parton would love); a shimmering butterfly ring from Parton's personal jewelry collection (Parton had a lifelong appreciation for butterflies, often using them as a symbol); and the rhinestone earrings Parton wore in the music video when the pair collaborated on a new version of "Does He Love You." McEntire originally released the duet with Linda Davis in 1993. She released the rendition with Parton in 2021.

"I love you, Dolly, so much," McEntire said after her performance. Watch the emotional tribute to Parton here :