Dolly Parton is set to receive a special tribute at the 2026 Emmy Awards, with an iconic country music star preparing to honor the legendary singer-songwriter.
According to Deadline, Rebe McEntire is set to pay tribute to Parton with a special performance just weeks after the country icon died at 80.
The Happy Place star and the Jolene singer have shared a close friendship for more than four decades, making McEntire a fitting choice to lead the tribute to the country icon at the 78th Emmy Awards.
While the performance song has not been announced, reports suggest McEntire will take on one of Parton’s beloved songs.
McEntire shared a heartfelt message to Instagram following Parton's passing on August 25.
“Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth,” she wrote.
Parton added, “Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.”
She continued, “There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang.”
McEntire’s decades-long friendship with Parton began in 1977, when Parton surprised her by appearing at her Grand Ole Opry debut and sharing the stage.
Over the years, the two country stars continued to support one another, with Parton guest-starring on McEntire’s sitcom Reba in 2005 and the pair co-hosting the CMA Awards in 2019.
Their first official musical collaboration came in 2021, when they recorded a new version of Does He Love You, originally released by McEntire and Linda Davis in 1993.
To note, Parton received five Emmy nominations during her career and won in 2021 for Outstanding Television Movie as a producer of Netflix's Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square.
Her representatives confirmed she died after a “brief battle with cancer,” though the type was not disclosed.
She was hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville days before her death.
