Actress Sally Field paid an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton at the 2026 Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, telling the ceremony that if there really are angels on Earth, they had just lost one.
Field made the remarks while speaking about her late "Steel Magnolias" co-star. Parton died last month in Nashville at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, according to CNN. Field said she had never stopped loving Parton over the years and had adored her from the very first day.
The 79-year-old actress, an Oscar and Emmy winner, called Parton incredibly funny and said her filthy sense of humor would make even the crudest man hide.
Field said that at the time, she could not see the true giant Dolly was, not only as an artist but as a human being. She described Parton as a humanitarian whose contributions made a deep difference in her home state of Tennessee and across the country.
Field and Parton had starred alongside Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis in the 1989 film "Steel Magnolias," based on the play of the same name. The ensemble drama, set around a small-town Louisiana beauty salon, became one of the defining female-led films of its era and a showcase for its cast's chemistry.
Reba McEntire's tribute performance
After Field's speech, Reba McEntire took the stage to perform Parton's "Appalachian Memories." According to CNN, that song was what first brought the two country singers together.
A decade ago, during a masterclass, McEntire recalled that in 1977 she had been scheduled to make her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, the storied Nashville country music stage and radio show that has launched generations of country stars, when she was told that Parton had arrived and that one of the two songs McEntire was set to sing would instead go to Parton.
McEntire said she responded by asking if she could at least meet Parton, adding that she did not care about anything else that day, she just wanted to see Dolly Parton in person.
A decades-long friendship
The two singers went on to become close friends. Parton stood by McEntire in 1991 after a plane crash killed eight members of McEntire's band.
They shared happier moments too. In 2005, Parton made a guest appearance on McEntire's hit television series "Reba." Speaking to E! in 2018, McEntire said Dolly spent the entire week with them on set as a guest star, and that it was the last time the two really got to sit and talk.
The pair appeared together on stage on several occasions over the years. In January 2026, Parton released the single "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," featuring McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus and Queen Latifah, to mark Parton's 80th birthday.
Following Parton's death, McEntire posted a tribute on social media praising "my friend Dolly." She wrote thanking Parton for all the wonderful things she did for people on Earth, citing her love, her music and everything she gave with her huge heart, and said there will never be another like her.
