This is your official PSA to get those tissues ready in advance.
Three weeks ago, the passing of country music legend Dolly Parton shook the world, with the outpouring of grief from fans across all walks of life showing just how far her influence reached. In the weeks since her passing, tributes and heartfelt performances have continued to pour in from friends, family, and artists who admired her.
I, for one, have been bittersweetly waiting for the day Dolly’s longtime collaborator and good friend Reba McEntire would step onstage to honor her fellow “Queen of Country.” And now that the moment has finally arrived, I’m going to need another five to ten business days to emotionally recover.
The fiery red-headed icon took the stage last night at the 78th Annual Emmy Awards, dawned in an angelic white gown, and, as many fans have noticed, repping a silver butterfly ring paying tribute to one of Dolly’s signature symbols. There’s no denying Reba’s glittery ensemble and sparkling jewelry were a nod to Dolly’s larger-than-life style, with Reba herself once describing Dolly as “what an angel looks like.”
Reba stunned the crowd with a performance of Dolly’s 1983 track, “Appalachian Memories,” which is the one song I’ve really yet to see anyone pull out of Parton’s decade-spanning discography. The stages background emulated the song’s Smoky Mountain theme with a vast blue mountain scape accompanying pictures of Parton throughout her life, young and old.
While Reba’s ageless vocals did Parton’s stunning ballad justice, you could see the glimmer in her eyes as she fought back tears throughout the undeniably difficult tribute. To make matters even more emotional, she ended the performance with the real punch to the gut, sending one final heartfelt message to heaven: “I love you, Dolly… so much.”
As you can imagine, the internet was equally choked up and in awe of what many considered the perfect first televised tribute to the “I Will Always Love You” icon. Others half-jokingly agreed on one thing: we need to protect the 71-year-old singer, songwriter and TV star Reba at all costs, too.
With award season just starting to ramp back up, I know this is only the beginning of the many Dolly remembrance performances still to come. And while I’ll never turn down a Dolly cover, I think this one has done enough emotional damage for the day. Watch the heartfelt performance below (at your own risk):