Dolly Parton was honoured at last night’s (September 14) Emmy Awards, with Sally Field and Reba McEntire paying tribute to the late country legend.
News of Dolly’s death rocked the music world when it emerged last month. Though she had previously told fans she was dealing with some health issues that she “didn’t pay attention to” while looking after late husband Carl Dean, the public had no idea of her cancer diagnosis, which her sister later explained was because “she did not want people sad”.
At the Emmys on Monday night, Reba McEntire performed an emotive tribute to Dolly with a cover of her 1983 track ‘Appalachian Mountains’, which was preceded by a moving speech from Parton’s former Steel Magnolias co-star, Sally Field.
“If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton,” Field said at the ceremony. “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 humour 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 continued.
“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.”
This was followed by an archival clip of Parton introducing ‘Appalachian Mountains’ the year it came out, where she speaks of her pride about her Smoky Mountains upbringing.
“I have written a song that touches me very deep, and I’m sure that, in your own way, that you certainly will relate to this,” she said in the clip. “This song, like I say, is very important to me, and I hope you like it. And if you don’t like it, well, if you don’t mind, I would rather not hear about it later, OK?”
In recent weeks, similar tributes for Dolly have poured in from across the world. Kacey Musgraves performed ‘Here You Come Again’ in Boston, while Maisie Peters covered the same song at Reading Festival.
Jack White played ‘Jolene’ at a recent London show, while Orville Peck delivered a rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’. Olivia Rodrigo also dedicated her duet with Sarah McLachlan at Daisy Chain Fields to the later singer.
The outpouring of love for the ‘9 to 5’ singer also saw the board of Nashville International Airport recently vote to rename it her in honour.
Meanwhile, Dolly’s relatives confirmed that the country star’s funeral had taken place in a private ceremony at Nashville’s Woodlawn Memorial Park, where fellow country stars Porter Wagoner, George Jones and Tammy Wynette are also buried.
Her estate have also confirmed the inaugural edition of the “star-studded” DollyFest, which will last two days in Nashville and London. The festival, which was supposed to go ahead this January if it weren’t for Dolly’s health struggles, will celebrate her legacy “instead of a traditional public memorial”.
The NME obituary for Parton concluded: “Resplendent in her rhinestone suit, she embodied both qualities as a unifying icon. The world has become more divided since that set, but everyone will always love Dolly.”
