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\n Sally Field set the tone for a heartfelt tribute to the late Dolly Parton at the Peacock Theater tonight. Speaking of her late \u201cSteel Magnolias\u201d costar, Field said, \u201cIf there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Parton died last month in Nashville<\/a> at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cOver the years I never stopped loving her,\u201d Field said, adding that she \u201cadored her from day one.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The Oscar- and Emmy-winner called Parton \u201cblisteringly funny\u201d and called out her \u201cbawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy for a place to hide.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI couldn\u2019t see then what a real giant Dolly was,\u201d the \u201cRemarkably Bright Creatures\u201d actress said, \u201cNot just as an artist, but as a human. She was a humanitarian whose contributions have made a profound difference 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.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Field and Parton costarred with Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis in the 1989 tearjerker \u201cSteel Magnolias,\u201d based on the stage play of the name name.\n <\/p>\n \n After Field\u2019s emotional words, McEntire took the stage to perform Parton\u2019s \u201cAppalachian Memories.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Music first bonded the pair of country singers.\n <\/p>\n \n A decade ago during a master class, McEntire shared<\/a> that in 1977 she was scheduled to make her debut at The Grand Ole Opry when she was informed the \u201cJolene\u201d singer had arrived, and they were giving her one of the two songs McEntire was going to sing.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI said ok, can I meet her?\u201d McEntire recalled. \u201cI didn\u2019t care or anything, I just wanted to see Dolly Parton!\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The pair became dear friends over the years, and Parton was there for McEntire in 1991 after a plane crash claimed eight members of McEntire\u2019s band. They enjoyed happier times in 2005 when Parton appeared as a guest star on McEntire\u2019s hit television series \u201cReba.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhen I was doing the \u2018Reba\u2019 TV show, Dolly spent the whole week with us on set,\u201d she told E! in 2018<\/a>. \u201cShe was one of the guest stars and that\u2019s the last time we really got to sit down and visit.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n They appeared on stage together multiple times, and in January 2026 Parton released<\/a> the single \u201cLight of a Clear Blue Morning\u201d which featured her, McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus and Queen Latifah on Parton\u2019s 80th birthday.\n <\/p>\n \n After Parton\u2019s death, McEntire posted a message praising \u201cmy buddy Dolly\u201d on social media.\n <\/p>\n \n Remember: While Parton is best known for her contributions to music, she also starred in films and on television. \u201cDolly Parton\u2019s Christmas on the Town Square\u201d won her a Primetime Emmy for outstanding TV movie in 2021, and she was nominated four other times<\/a> by the Television Academy.\n <\/p>\n \n Before she became a household name, Parton cut her teeth on television\u2019s \u201cPorter Wagoner Show\u201d in the late 1960s and early \u201870s. She went on to make memorable guest appearances and cameos on dozens of shows and TV movies over the years. In 2022, she appeared in the series finale of Netflix\u2019s \u201cGrace and Frankie\u201d<\/a> alongside her costars from the film \u201c9 to 5,\u201d Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.\n <\/p>\n