Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter

Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts and Sabrina Carpenter were among the stars who paid tribute to Dolly Parton on Wednesday night as the Country Music Association honored the late country icon with a star-studded celebration of her music, generosity and enduring influence.

The special, held at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, aired live on ABC and Disney+ and featured more than 20 performers, along with recorded tributes from stars of music, film and television. It begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday.

Parton died in August at age 80 after what her publicist described as a brief battle with cancer.

Oprah opens the night

Winfrey opened the broadcast with a pre-recorded video reflecting on what Parton meant to her, drawing on their shared roots in Tennessee.

"We're both Tennessee girls, and she represented to me the essence of being 100% who you see yourself to be. Authentic all the time, and I just loved her for it," Winfrey said.

She praised Parton's determination and kindness, saying she admired that the singer "had such grace and such tenacity."

"Her presence here on Earth will be felt for forever because the spirit that is so strong that was hers is actually everlasting," Winfrey said.

A 'shining example'

Roberts, who starred alongside Parton in the 1989 film "Steel Magnolias," remembered her co-star as a model of humility and warmth.

"She really was a shining example of remembering who you are, where you came from, and what it means to be kind," Roberts said in a recorded tribute.

Carpenter, who collaborated with Parton on a remix of her hit "Please Please Please" before the country legend's death, described what Parton represented to her.

"She meant kindness, joy, quick comebacks, rhinestones, big hair, family, radiance, and love," Carpenter said. "But there's nobody like Dolly."

'The great unifier'

Katy Perry also paid tribute, describing Parton as a figure who brought people together across divides and calling her the "great unifier."

Perry said Parton had "masterfully toyed with the power of her femininity," adding: "For me, Dolly is the blueprint."

Comedy legend Carol Burnett shared a personal memory from filming the 1979 CBS special "Dolly & Carol in Nashville," recalling that Parton cooked her a home-cooked meal and brought it to her hotel room so Burnett would not have to go out to dinner.

U2 frontman Bono and actor Goldie Hawn also appeared in tributes.

A night of Dolly's songs

The evening's musical performances spanned Parton's six-decade career, with country stars performing many of her most beloved songs.

The show opened with Molly Tuttle, banjo player Béla Fleck, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs performing "A Few Old Memories," before Lainey Wilson joined the group for "Train, Train."

Ella Langley performed Parton's signature hit "Jolene," while Carrie Underwood took on "I Will Always Love You," the song Parton wrote and recorded in 1974 that became a global smash for Whitney Houston nearly two decades later.

Carly Pearce and Kristin Chenoweth teamed up for "9 to 5," the title song from the 1980 film that marked Parton's acting debut, while Lady A performed "Islands in the Stream," Parton's famous duet with Kenny Rogers.

Ashley McBryde sang "Coat of Many Colors," Parton's autobiographical song about growing up poor in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, and Kelsea Ballerini performed "Here You Come Again."

Reba McEntire, joined by a Belmont University student ensemble, performed the gospel song "He's Alive." Little Big Town sang "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," and Darius Rucker performed "Two Doors Down."

Other performances included Brad Paisley and Sierra Hull with "When I Get Where I'm Going," Zac Brown with "Butterfly," and Wilson and Lukas Nelson with "You Can't Make Old Friends," a song Parton originally recorded with Kenny Rogers.

Actor Kristen Bell also appeared during the special.

A towering legacy

Born in January 1946 in a one-room cabin in Sevier County, Tennessee, Parton was one of 12 children in a poor farming family. She became a local star in Knoxville as a child, made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry as a teenager and moved to Nashville at 18, where she found early success as a songwriter.

Over a career spanning more than six decades, Parton became one of the most successful and beloved entertainers in American history. She wrote thousands of songs, won 10 Grammy Awards from more than 50 nominations and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2011.

She was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and she received the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors.

Beyond music, Parton found success as an actor in films including "9 to 5" and "Steel Magnolias," and as a businesswoman through the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Her philanthropy was a central part of her legacy. Her Imagination Library, which mails free books to young children, has distributed nearly 308 million books in several countries. She also donated $1 million toward research for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and supported disaster relief efforts in her home state.

An outpouring of grief

Parton's death in August prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans, musicians and public figures around the world. Her funeral was a small, private service for immediate family.

Wednesday's CMA special offered a public moment of remembrance for fans who have celebrated her music for generations, and for an industry that regarded her as one of its most important figures.

For many of the artists who took the stage, the night was a chance to honor not only a musical legend but also a woman widely admired for her kindness, humor and generosity.