Here comes the enormity of Dolly Parton’s legacy again.
Weeks after the country icon’s death from cancer at the age of 80, Parton was honored with a special tribute at the 2026 Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 that left not one dry eye inside the Peacock Theatre.
"If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton," Sally Field shared onstage. "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."
"She was genuine and humble," the Emmy winner continued, "supportive and blisteringly funny with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide."
While Field said she "adored" Parton from the start, she admitted, "I couldn't see then what a real giant Dolly was—not just as an artist, but as a human."
"God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend," Field added. "I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever."
The moment also featured a performance from Reba McEntire who sang Parton's 1983 track "Appalachian Memories."
During her storied career Parton had been nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Television Movie in 2021 for her work on Christmas on the Square.
Shortly before the ceremony, Emmys producer Jesse Collins had confirmed that the Mariska Hargitay-hosted ceremony would feature a tribute to Parton, although he noted they didn’t want to make it too much of a spectacle.
“We’re holding it back,” he told Variety in an interview published Sept. 10. “But I think it will be a very beautiful tribute to Dolly.”
Since the “Jolene” singer’s death on Aug. 25, her family has shared more information about her final days, with niece Jada Star explaining that Parton didn’t want to make news of her cancer public.
“She never wanted to worry anybody,” Star told Extra in an interview published Sept. 1. “We kind of kept all that stuff real private.”
And despite knowing about the Grammy winner’s health struggles, her death still came as a “shock,” with Star adding, “I can’t remember a life without her.”
Thankfully, she and the rest of Parton’s family have been able to find solace in the outgoing tributes to the late singer.
“It's also been really bittersweet because of this beautiful opportunity we've had to see how much the whole world loves her,” she said. “So, all of these tributes have helped so much to help us all through it.”
And of course, Parton’s legacy will live on not only through her music but also through her Imagination Library, a non-profit that provides free books to children under the age of five.
“My dad couldn't read or write and that was kind of crippling to him," she shared in her 2020 documentary The Library That Dolly Built. "Of all the things I’ve done in my life—and it’s been a lot because I’ve been around a long time—this is one of the most precious things and the proudest I’ve been of any program I’ve ever been involved in, working with these kids."
For more stars at the 2026 Emmy Awards, keep reading.
Zendaya
in custom Prada and Mikimoto jewelry.
Selena Gomez
in Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Ayo Edebiri
in Chanel and Mikimoto jewelry.
Mariska Hargitay
in Monse and Stuart Weitzman shoes.
Noah Wyle
in custom Brunello Cucinelli and Cartier watch.
Nicole Kidman
in Chanel and OMEGA watch.
Elle Fanning
in Ralph Lauren and Cartier jewelry.
Dakota Fanning
in Carolina Herrera and Swarovski jewelry.
Kristen Bell
in Alberta Ferretti.
Shailene Woodley
in Balenciaga.
Julia Garner
in Loewe and Marco Bicego jewelry.
Florence Pugh
in Vivienne Westwood.
Colman Domingo
in custom Valentino and OMEGA watch.
Kaley Cuoco & Tom Pelphrey
in Christian Siriano (Cuoco) and Giorgio Armani (Pelphrey).
Julianne Hough
in Antonio Grimaldi.
Sarah Pidgeon
in Chanel.
Michael Urie
in Christian Siriano and Azza Fahmy jewelry.
Allison Janney
in Pamella Roland and Sabyasachi.
Emilia Clarke
in Prada.
John Mulaney & Olivia Munn
in Brunello Cucinelli (Mulaney) and FFORME (Munn).
Michelle Pfeiffer
in Saint Laurent.
Oscar Isaac
in Celine.
Jessica Williams
in Honor, Tyler Ellis bag, and Jessica McCormack jewelry.
Harrison Ford & Calista Flockhart
in custom Paul Smith (Ford) and Zuhair Murad (Flockhart).
Sterling K. Brown
in Brunello Cucinelli.
Ryan Michelle Bathe
in Lia Stublia and Martin Katz jewelry.
Lisa Kudrow
in Celine.
Paul Anthony Kelly
in Louis Vuitton and Vacheron Constantin watch.
Sally Field
in Akris.
Chase Infiniti
in Louis Vuitton and Hearts on Fire jewelry.