Kacey Musgraves Honors Dolly Parton With Emotional ‘I Will Always Love You’ Tribute at 2026 MTV VMAs

Kacey Musgraves delivered one of the most emotional moments of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with a tribute to Dolly Parton, performing the country legend’s “I Will Always Love You” just over a month after Parton’s death.

Musgraves, 38, honored Parton during the Sept. 27 ceremony in Los Angeles with a pre-taped performance of the 1974 classic. Wearing a fuchsia gown with feather-trimmed cuffs and voluminous hair reminiscent of Parton’s signature look, she transformed the performance into a farewell to the woman who had influenced generations of country artists.

But the most poignant moment came at the very end, when Musgraves’ performance gave way to Parton herself appearing once more on the screen.

Dolly Opened the Tribute Before Kacey Took Over

Kacey Musgraves’ tribute to Dolly Parton in September 2026 in Los Angeles.

Matthew Taplinger/CBS via Getty

Rather than beginning with Musgraves alone, the tribute opened with footage of Parton singing “I Will Always Love You.”

As Parton reached the chorus, Musgraves briefly joined her voice before taking over the song.

The staging created the impression of the two country stars sharing the performance across different moments in time, with Musgraves carrying the song forward after Parton’s image disappeared.

Parton died on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.

Her death made the choice of song especially meaningful. Originally released by Parton in 1974, “I Will Always Love You” has remained one of the defining songs of her career.

One Final Message From Dolly Closed the Performance

Musgraves completed her rendition, but the tribute was not finished.

Parton suddenly appeared on the screen again.

“I’ll always love you,” she said in the archival clip.

Parton then smiled, waved toward the camera and added a simple farewell: “Bye-bye!”

The brief moment became the emotional final image of the tribute, allowing Parton’s own voice rather than Musgraves’ to close the performance.

Musgraves Has Honored Parton Several Times Since Her Death

The VMAs performance was not the first time Musgraves had used the stage to remember Parton.

In the days following Parton’s death, she dedicated her song “Rainbow” to the country icon during a concert.

At TD Garden in Boston, Musgraves also performed Parton’s 1977 hit “Here You Come Again,” with the audience joining her during the song.

She continued the tributes at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where she performed another of Parton’s most recognizable songs, “9 to 5.”

Musgraves and Parton had also previously shared the stage. Among their appearances together was the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February 2019.

A Farewell Built Around Dolly’s Own Words

The VMAs tribute stood apart because it did not simply feature another artist performing one of Parton’s songs.

By opening and closing with footage of Parton herself, the performance placed her voice at the center of the moment.

Musgraves appeared between those two appearances, singing the song that has long been associated with love, separation and saying goodbye.

Then, at the end, the screen returned to Parton one final time.

“I’ll always love you.”

A smile, a wave and two final words followed:

“Bye-bye.”