Reba McEntire performed a touching tribute to her friend Dolly Parton at this year’s Emmy Awards. Parton died on Aug. 26 at the age of 80, and the award ceremony made sure to plan a touching tribute.
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McEntire, who currently stars on the sitcom Happy’s Place, took to the stage on Monday night to sing Parton’s song “Appalachian Memories.”
After actress Sally Field spoke about her Steel Magnolias co-star, a clip of Parton introducing the song was shown before McEntire began singing.
“It’s always been one of my favorite Dolly songs. She wrote it about her family and I think it’s just so beautiful and perfect to honor who she was and where she came from,” McEntire told Vogue. “She always carried her upbringing with her, and I admired that. There will never be another Dolly Parton.”
According to the Queen of Country, her outfit was inspired by Parton.
“I didn’t want to wear black,” she explained. “I wanted to wear something sparkly, just like Dolly would have done.”
She shared that Parton wore a white fringed gown for her first TV special, Live in London, in 1983. Her white gown was “a little nod to that moment.” That was also the first time she sang “Appalachian Memories.”
McEntire also revealed that she brought another important piece of Parton to the stage with her.
Her manager, Justin McIntosh, reached out to Parton’s niece Rebecca and asked if the family would lend some of her jewelry without McEntire knowing.
“They graciously said yes, and it was an honor to have a little piece of her on stage with me,” she said. “I picked a pair of rhinestone earrings and a butterfly ring. There’s nothing that says Dolly more than rhinestones and butterflies!”
She posted about the moment on her Instagram, writing, “It was so special to have Dolly with me on stage. I’ll never forget getting to wear her jewelry 🦋 Thank you to @TheDollyArchive for lending me these treasures and to @voguemagazine for helping me share the story!”