One Song Was Enough To Leave The VMAs Fighting Back Tears… A Country Star Stepped Into The Spotlight For A Heartbreaking Tribute To Dolly Parton — And The Final Seconds Hit Fans Hardest.
29/09/2026
Kacey Musgraves’ Dolly Parton tribute leaves MTV VMAs viewers in tears
Kacey Musgraves brought one of the most emotional moments of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards when she performed Dolly Parton’s beloved 1974 classic I Will Always Love You in a tribute to the country music legend.
The moving performance, staged during Sunday night’s ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, left viewers reaching for tissues as Parton appeared on screen alongside Musgraves.
Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80 after privately battling cancer. Her death marked the loss of one of country music’s most recognisable figures, and the VMAs dedicated a special segment to celebrating her life and legacy.
Musgraves’ performance had been pre-recorded in Los Angeles because she was due to perform at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena that same night as part of her Middle of Nowhere tour. Paramount had previously confirmed that Musgraves would return to the VMAs stage for the first time in five years to honour Parton.
A tribute built around Dolly’s own voice
The segment began with archival footage of Parton speaking to a concert audience.
True to her familiar sense of humour, Parton offered a lighthearted piece of advice before turning to a more heartfelt message. She joked: “Don’t criticise your wife’s judgment. You just remember who she married.”
She then added that she hoped life would treat everyone “real kind.”
Parton began the opening chorus of I Will Always Love You in the archival footage, with Musgraves joining in on the final lines. The younger singer then took over the performance, singing the rest of the song with only a piano accompanying her.
As Musgraves sang, glittering butterfly imagery appeared across the screen, an especially fitting visual reference to Parton.
The tribute ended with Parton appearing on screen once again.
“I’ll always love you,” she said, before giving a gentle wave and signing off with a final “Bye-bye!”
The moment drew sustained applause from the audience, while Musgraves herself appeared visibly emotional as the performance came to an end. Other coverage of the ceremony likewise described the tribute as one of the evening’s emotional highlights.
Snoop Dogg, who hosted the ceremony, summed up the reaction in the room afterwards.
“Wow, now that’s how you honour a legend,” he told viewers. “There’s nothing but love in this room for Miss Dolly Parton. We love you, Dolly.”
Fans say the tribute left them in tears
Snoop Dogg was far from the only person moved by the performance.
Social media quickly filled with emotional reactions from viewers who praised Musgraves for honouring Parton with one of the singer’s most enduring songs.
One X user wrote: “A beautiful tribute to the ‘Queen of Country’ Dolly Parton. Thank you @KaceyMusgraves for performing ‘I Will Always Love You’ to honor her. It’s a beautiful song. Kacey’s performance was heartfelt.”
Another viewer admitted they had not watched the VMAs for some time, but said the Dolly tribute was “beautiful” and praised Musgraves for doing “an incredible job.”
“Kacey Musgraves with the beautiful tribute to Dolly… I’m crying!” another fan posted.
A fourth wrote: “Omg actually crying at kacey’s tribute to dolly. wow. that was truly amazing. #VMAs.”
Other viewers expressed similar emotions, with one writing that the VMAs performance had them “crying about Dolly Parton all over again.”
Another posted: “Oh the tribute for dolly just started & I’m CRYING #VMAs,” while another admitted: “Another Dolly tribute I won’t get through without crying #VMAS.”
The response reflected the significance of the moment for Parton’s fans, particularly so soon after her death.
Dolly Parton’s final days and lasting legacy
Parton died on August 25, aged 80, in Nashville. According to the official announcement, she died peacefully and was surrounded by loved ones. Her representatives said she had been privately battling cancer.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news in a video posted to Parton’s official Instagram account.
“She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not,” he said.
Parton’s family described her life as “a rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see” and said her legacy was one of “love, compassion and resilience.”
Her final public appearance had come in June at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for her Tennessee Travel Stop.
Musgraves and Parton shared a long musical connection
For Musgraves, the tribute carried particular significance.
She had long regarded Parton as one of her greatest musical inspirations. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Musgraves once described Parton as “a supernova of a person” who “wasn’t afraid to be a beautiful, sexy woman, proud of her femininity.”
The two singers had already shared the stage at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
As part of a special tribute to Parton, Musgraves and Katy Perry performed Here You Come Again before Parton joined them. The Grammy tribute also featured performances from Miley Cyrus, Maren Morris and Little Big Town.
After Parton’s death in August, Musgraves paid tribute to her again on X, writing: “The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.”
That connection made Musgraves’ appearance at the VMAs especially poignant. Her choice of I Will Always Love You, one of Parton’s signature songs, brought their shared musical history back into focus while giving the audience a chance to remember Parton through her own voice.
The VMAs tribute followed another major celebration of Parton’s legacy
The MTV performance was not the first major televised tribute to Parton since her death.
At the 2026 Emmy Awards on September 14, Sally Field remembered her Steel Magnolias co-star, describing Parton as an angel on earth. Reba McEntire also performed Parton’s 1983 song Appalachian Memories during the ceremony.
The VMAs offered another opportunity for the music industry and fans to remember Parton, this time through one of the songs most closely associated with her career.
I Will Always Love You was written and recorded by Parton in 1973 and released the following year. The song has remained one of the defining works of her career, making Musgraves’ decision to perform it particularly fitting for a tribute centred on Parton herself.
By the final notes of the VMAs performance, Musgraves was visibly emotional and the audience responded with loud applause.
Then Parton appeared one last time on the screen, smiling and saying: “I’ll always love you.”
Her final “Bye-bye!” brought the tribute to a close.
For viewers watching at home, the reaction was immediate. Across social media, fans described themselves as crying, reaching for tissues and struggling to make it through another tribute to the country icon.
The response underlined how deeply Parton had connected with generations of listeners, while Musgraves’ performance provided a quiet and personal way to celebrate that connection.
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