Emmy Awards pay tribute to Dolly Parton, Catherine O'Hara and more
Sally Field and Reba McEntire paid an emotional tribute to the late Dolly Parton at the Emmy Awards on Monday (14.09.26), while Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy remembered Catherine O'Hara.
Sally Field and Reba McEntire paid an emotional tribute to the late Dolly Parton at the Emmy Awards on Monday (14.09.26).
The Jolene singer passed away last month at the age of 80 and the ceremony took some time to pay tribute to the beloved star, led by her Steel Magnolias co-star and fellow country icon.
Sally said: “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 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.”
Reba then took to the stage for an orchestral performance of Appalachian Memories.
The track was chosen because Dolly had performed it at the 1983 Emmy Awards, and a clip from the broadcast was shown before Reba's rendition.
In the clip, Dolly said: “I grew up in the smoky mountains, the Appalachian Mountains. I have written a song that touches me very deep. I’m sure in your own way, you will to this. This song, like I say, is very important to me. And I hope you don’t like it. If you don’t like it, if you don’t mind, I would rather not hear about it later.”
Later in the ceremony, Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy honoured Catherine O'Hara - who died in January at the age of 71 - during the In Memoriam segment.
Macaulay was overcome with emotion as he shared a tribute to his beloved "mom", who he starred with in the Home Alone films.
He said: "She was encouraging, she was warm, funny. But the word that I think of is momma. She wasn’t just a wife and mother to Beau and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom. Our mom. And by extension, all of our moms. By the way, call your mother tonight.
"For real. Like a good mom, she showed up when you asked her to. That was Catherine, that’s what she did, she showed up and this is the best we can do for her tobight, we are showing up for her.
"She may have forgotten me – twice – but we will always remember her."
Annie then took the mic and recalled the kindness she had received from strangers in the wake of her Schitt's Creek co-star's death.
She said: “After we lost Catherine, I was passed a note on an Air Canada flight that said, ‘She was so special. I hope you’re doing okay.'
“On a drive up north, I was hugged by an extremely gruff-looking gas station attendant who was also grieving her loss. While buying wine at the LCBO, I was treated to a very lively Catherine mashup, which was a woman saying, ‘Ew, David, where’s the baby?’ while doing what I can only assume was Catherine’s exquisite hobble from Best in Show.
" These are only a very few of the interactions I’ve been lucky enough to have that remind me how profoundly Catherine has impacted the world.”
Meanwhile, Schitt's Creek co-star Dan said the “greatest lesson” her learned from Catherine was “to always say yes” to everything “both professionally and personally.”
He said: “Say yes to giving her space to experiment and create. It will amaze you on a daily basis, and it will change your life. Say yes to her dinner invites and her stories and her wisdom and her generosity. Those are the things you will hold onto the tightest. Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness.”
Noah Kahan then performed Bridge Over Troubled Water as images of those from the TV industry who have passed away over the last year - including Dolly, James Van Der Beek, Anthony Head, Diane Ladd, Eric Dane, Robert Duvall, and Robert Carradine - were displayed on screen.
The segment was closed out by Jamie Lee Curtis, who tearfully remembered Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, who were murdered last December.
She said: “Last year we lost another cherished legend, our beloved ‘Meathead,’ Rob Reiner. He was generous and kind and funny as hell and a friend to all.”
