Sally Field and Reba McEntire honor late Dolly Parton at the 78th Emmy Awards: ‘Love you forever’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Late country icon Dolly Parton received heartfelt tributes from her ‘Steel Magnolias’ co-star Sally Field and fellow artist Reba McEntire at the 78th Emmy Awards, less than a month after her death following a brief battle with cancer. 

While Field delivered a moving speech remembering her ‘genuine and humble’ friend and costar, McEntire performed ‘Appalachian Memories,’ a country song written and recorded by Parton in 1983 for her 25th solo studio album, ‘Burlap & Satin.’

Sally Field remembers ‘angel’ Dolly Parton at the 78th Emmys

Parton’s ‘Steel Magnolias’ co-star and longtime friend, Sally Field, 79, took the stage at the 78th Emmy Awards to remember the late icon through an emotional speech. “If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one,” Field began. 

“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,” she stated. “I adored her from day one. How could you not?” Field asked.

“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,” she continued. “I couldn’t see then what a real giant Dolly was, not just as an artist, but as a human,” Field shared.

“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,” she added. “God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend! I am not the only one on Earth that will love you forever and ever,” Field concluded.

In addition to her tribute to Parton, Field also won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role as Tova Sullivan in Netflix's ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ at the 2026 Emmy Awards, marking the fourth win of her decorated career. 

Field also spoke about her emotional tribute to Parton while addressing the press after the ceremony. “As an actor, you spend a whole lot of time, especially me, to make yourself cry... and I was trying to make myself not cry. So, it was hard,” Field shared, as seen in a clip shared by The Hollywood Reporter on X. 

When asked how much Parton meant to her, Field said, “She was a friend. I admired her, I loved working with her, I never stopped loving her.” 

She further shared, “There were moments where we tried to reach each other, but this is a weird world I live in. This acting world, where you where you do films, and you’re so bonded with this group of people. It’s like being in battle together. You save each other’s lives, and you got each other’s backs, and you spend 24/7 with each other.”

Field recalled, “We would go shopping together, all of us and go to Walmart together,” before adding, “Dolly and I lived so far apart,” but “the times we did reach out, I think she felt that way about me. So I loved her.”

Reba McEntire sings ‘Appalachian Memories’ in Dolly Parton’s honor

Shortly after Field’s speech, Parton’s fellow country icon, three-time Grammy Award winner McEntire, 71, graced the stage to perform a heartfelt orchestral rendition of the late artist’s beloved 1983 song ‘Appalachian Memories.’ Parton also performed the track at the 1983 Emmy Awards ceremony. 

Prior to McEntire’s performance, a clip from Parton’s past show played on the big screen. “I grew up in the smoky mountains, the Appalachian Mountains,” the singer could be seen saying in the clip.

“I have written a song that touches me very deep. I’m sure in your own way, you certainly will relate to this,” she said, adding, “This song, like I say, is very important to me. And I hope you don’t like it. If you don’t like it, if you don’t mind, I would rather not hear about it later.”

Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80. “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the ‘Jolene’ singer’s representative told People Magazine at the time.