Dolly Parton will be honored by an iconic country star at the Emmy Awards 2026

Reba McEntire's close friendship with Dolly Parton stretched over 40 years, so it's only fitting that she should be the one to lead the tribute to her fellow country icon at the 78th Emmy Awards.

McEntire, 71, is set to honor her late friend's legacy with a special performance less than a month after Parton's shock death at 80, per Deadline.

While the specific song McEntire will perform has not been publicly revealed, the buzz is she will cover a song by Parton, who will receive the greatest honor by having Nashville International Airport renamed after her.

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. 'Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.

'There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang.'

McEntire and Parton's bond dates back to when the Oklahoma native first sang at the Grand Ole Opry in 1977. Parton surprised her by showing up and sharing the stage.

Through the years, they supported each other's careers. Parton guest-starred on McEntire's sitcom Reba in 2005 and they co-hosted the CMA Awards together in 2019.

It took years before they would musically collaborate. Their first official duet, a new version of Does He Love You, which McEntire first recorded as a duet with Linda Davis in 1993, was released in 2021.

Parton and McEntire also joined Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson and Queen Latifah on the 2026 track Light of a Clear Blue Morning.

But Parton was just as committed to television throughout her career, starting on regional programs like the Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour in Tennessee before starring in her own variety shows and working behind the scenes as a television producer.

She famously joined Kenny Rogers for their CBS television special Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember in 1984.

Through her Sandollar Productions, Parton worked as a secret and uncredited executive producer on hit television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel.

As her company evolved, she helped produce the 2019 Netflix anthology series Dolly Parton's Heartstrings.

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.

Parton's representatives confirmed she died after a 'brief battle with cancer,' according to a statement shared with People, though they did not disclose the specific type of cancer.

The country music star was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, just days before she passed, per TMZ.

In her final interview, Parton admitted to People she had been battling 'health issues that I just didn't pay attention to' when she was looking after her late husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 at age 82.