Dolly Parton Honored by Kacey Musgraves During Tribute Performance at 2026 MTV VMAs

Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Dolly Parton at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. Musgraves, who was nominated this year for best country for “Dry Spell,” performed one of Parton’s biggest hits, “I Will Always Love You.” Though the tribute aired onscreen at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Musgraves wasn’t at the ceremony in person. Written and originally recorded by Parton in 1973, “I Will Always Love You” reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart twice, once in 1974 and again in 1982. Musgraves previously paid tribute to Parton, who died Aug. 25 at age 80, during her Aug. 28 concert in Boston, where she performed her own song, “Rainbow” and a cover of Parton’s “Here You Come Again” in honor of the singer. Musgrave and Parton shared many moments together on stage before Parton’s death, including at the 2019 Grammys, where they performed “Here You Come Again” during a special segment, and at the 2016 CMA Awards, where Musgraves presented Parton with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award alongside a group of other presenters. Musgraves took to social media to pay tribute to her late friend after Parton’s death in August, writing on X: “Dolly. This really really hurts. … The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden. … So glad she’s with her [late husband] Carl Dean. … No one talk to me today. I’m really okay if my feed never goes back to normal. It’s not doom-scrolling it’s Dolly-scrolling.” The 2026 VMAs, hosted by Snoop Dogg, also featured a tribute to late singer George Michael by Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims. The 2026 VMAs aired live from 7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT on CBS and MTV and streamed on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S. Find all the winners here and check out the red carpet looks. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up