Paying tribute to her longtime friend.
On August 25, 2026, Dolly Parton sadly passed away at 80-years-old in Nashville Tennessee. Dolly had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. Dolly’s reps confirmed she sadly died following a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific kind was not revealed.
And tonight, Reba honored Dolly with a flawless performance of Dolly’s song “Appalachian Memories,” which was released in 1983 as part of her 25th solo studio album, Burlap & Satin. Dolly wrote it about her life growing up in the Appalachian mountains, and the struggles of poor families like hers who leave their beloved home to find work in bigger cities up north… all while trying to hold onto their faith and keep those mountain values alive.
Reba and Dolly are both country music legends, and their friendship goes WAY back. Dolly famously offered her entire band to Reba after a tragic plane crash in 1991 took the lives of 7 band memebers and her tour manager. Reba was visibly emotional talking about how Dolly ultimately sent her band leader, Gary Smith, to help her put a new band together.
The two of them worked together at different points throughout their careers, and in 2005, Dolly guest-starred on an episode of Reba’s self-titled sitcom. In 2019, the two icons co-hosted the CMA Awards alongside Carrie Underwood, and in 1993, they finally recorded their first official studio duet together, releasing a stripped-down acoustic version of Reba’s 1993 hit “Does He Love You.”
Dolly was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards throughout her career, spanning from 1978 to 2023. She was first nominated in 1978 for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music Nominated for her appearance on ABC’s Cher… Special. In 2017, she was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer for NBC’s Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. In 2020, she was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer for the Netflix film Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones. In 2021, she was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer for the Netflix movie Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, which she won. In 2023, she was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer for NBC’s Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.
Before the performance, Sally Field, who starred alongside Dolly in the 1989 film “Steel Magnolias,” introduced the tribute, saying she “adored” Dolly from day one, calling her “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 added that she knows she’s not the only one on Earth that will love her “forever and ever”:
“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.”
A clip from that broadcast played before Reba started, with Parton talking about the song and how special it was to her:
“I grew up in the smoky mountains, the Appalachian Mountains. I have written a song that touches me very deep. I’m sure in your own way, you will to this. 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.”
Just classic Dolly…
The girl from the hills of east Tennessee never forgot where she came from, and she carried that faith and humble, salt-of-the-earth spirit with her throughout her illustrious career. I think it was the perfect song choice, and the perfect way to honor her, and I love that they let her talk about it in her own words, too.
Reba of course delivered a flawless performance, and this is how you do it when it comes to honoring the queen of country:
“Does He Love You”
“Appalachian Memories”