Reba McEntire Honors Dolly Parton With Emotional CMA Special Performance
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Many of Nashville’s biggest talents gathered to honor the late Dolly Parton on Wednesday night (Oct. 21).
An impressive lineup of artists came together at Belmont University’s Fisher Center of the Performing Arts in Nashville for a televised memorial service in honor of Dolly Parton.
Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80, following a brief battle with cancer. She was laid to rest in a private family service, but has been honored with numerous public tributes. She has been remembered by the Television Academy at the Emmy Awards, the Gospel Music Association at the GMA Dove Awards, and by numerous artists through songs and stories on stage.
RELATED: DOLLY PARTON WINS POSTHUMOUS DOVE AWARD FOR LAST SONG SHE EVER CO-WROTE
Wednesday night’s CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton marked the first full-length public memorial for the star. The two-hour event featured “unforgettable performances, archival footage and personal stories.”
Reba McEntire Pays Tribute to Dolly Parton
One of those performances came from Dolly’s longtime friend and collegue, Reba McEntire.
It wasn’t the first time Reba sang in Dolly’s honor. The “Fancy” singer delivered a powerful performance of Dolly’s 1983 hit “Appalachian Memories” during the 78th Emmy Awards in September
But for her performance during the CMA television special, Reba chose to sing “He’s Alive.”
The song was a nod to their 40-year friendship and mutual faith. The song held a special meaning for Reba, who was greatly impacted by Dolly over the course of her career.
RELATED: DOLLY PARTON CALLED REBA PRIOR TO HER DEATH, BUT REBA WILL NEVER KNOW WHY
The two women first met in 1977 at the Grand Ole Opry where Reba was scheduled to make her debut on the iconic stage by singing two songs. Dolly made an unexpected appearance that night, and the Opry management gave Dolly one of Reba’s song slots.
“So I walked in, and they said, ‘Reba, I’m terribly sorry, but the two songs that we said you could sing, you’re only going to get to sing one. I said, ‘Why?’ And they said, ‘Well, Dolly Parton just pulled in the parking lot, and she’s going to take one of your songs,'” Reba once recalled.
“I said, ‘Okay, can I meet her?’ I didn’t care or anything. I just wanted to see Dolly Parton,” Reba said.
“She came walking in and I kinda backed up against the wall, and she had on the most beautiful black chiffon pantsuit with rhinestone butterflies on them — and her beautiful hair. I thought, ‘My gosh, that’s probably what an angel looks just like right there.”
The encounter marked the beginning of a long-time friendship that lasted until the day Dolly died.
About “He’s Alive”
“He’s Alive” was written by Don Francisco and tells the powerful story of Jesus Christ’s resurrection through song. Francisco’s version was recognized as Song of the Year at the 1980 Dove Awards. Dolly Parton recorded her own rendition of the song for her 1989 album, White Limozeen, and it saw huge success after her live performance of the tune at the 1990 GMA Dove Awards.
RELATED: REVISITING DOLLY PARTON’S ANGELIC PERFORMANCE OF “HE’S ALIVE” FROM 1990
Backed by a gospel choir, Dolly recounted the story of Christ’s resurrection from the perspective of Peter, who denied Jesus three times.
The lyrics of “He’s Alive” capture Peter’s guilt over his denial and his emotions about Christ’s resurrection. In the powerful final stanza, Peter details seeing a resurrected Jesus and seeing love and forgiveness in his eyes.
The song ends with Peter declaring, “He’s alive! Yes, He’s alive! Yes, He’s alive, and I’m forgiven. Heaven’s gates are open wide…”
Reba’s beautiful tribute to Dolly Parton from CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton can be found in part in the video below.
