A pre-taped tribute at the MTV Video Music Awards combined archival footage of Dolly Parton with Kacey Musgraves' live performance and theatrical styling to mark the country icon’s recent passing.
Musgraves performed a pre-taped rendition of “I Will Always Love You” at the 2026 VMAs that began with footage of Dolly Parton and transitioned to Musgraves after the chorus.
Musgraves has repeatedly honored Parton since her death, including a Madison Square Garden dedication on the Middle of Nowhere Tour where she called Parton “the closest thing we’ve ever had to royalty.”
# Summary Kacey Musgraves returned to the VMAs stage for the first time in five years to pay tribute to Dolly Parton. The performance was pre-taped for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards and paired archival footage of Parton with Musgraves taking over the song after the chorus. Musgraves' presentation included styling that referenced Parton's aesthetic and ended with a short on-screen appearance by Parton.
# The performance The tribute opened with a video of Dolly Parton singing "I Will Always Love You." After the song's chorus, the filmed segment shifted to Kacey Musgraves. Musgraves sang the remainder of the ballad while accompanied by piano, delivering a restrained, emotional take rather than a dramatic reinterpretation.
Musgraves' wardrobe and hair referenced Parton's public image: she wore a pink gown decorated with feathers and styled her hair in a large, voluminous look. The taped tribute concluded with Parton reappearing on screen, saying the song title and waving "Bye bye."
# Context and reactions Fans reacted strongly on social media, with posts calling the performance "straight up beautiful" and praising Musgraves' voice. The performance followed multiple recent tributes Musgraves paid to Parton. Days after Parton's death, Musgraves dedicated songs and remarks to her during a Middle of Nowhere Tour stop at Madison Square Garden, telling the crowd, "I'm not over it, and I'm never gonna be over it."
At that MSG show Musgraves described Parton as "the closest thing we've ever had to royalty" and a "supernova of a person," and she dedicated a performance of "Rainbow" to Parton.
# Awards and nominations Musgraves entered the 2026 VMAs with three career nods and a nomination in the Best Country category for "Dry Spell." Ella Langley won Best Country this year.
# Broadcast and timing Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. The ceremony was hosted by Snoop Dogg and broadcast on the CBS Television Network, simulcast on MTV, and streamed on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. International viewers could access the show on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.
# What this performance shows
Kacey Musgraves has been paying tribute to Dolly Parton a lot since the country music icon's passing a few weeks ago. Tonight, she did so onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards. After an intro featuring archival footage of Parton performing her classic ballad "I Will Always Love You" on TV, Musgraves grabbed the torch t
Kacey Musgraves led a touching tribute to Dolly Parton at the MTV Video Music Awards 2026, honoring the late country icon just a month after her death with a rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” The pre-taped performance began with footage of Parton introducing the classic 1974 tune. “I’d like to leave you fellas […]
Musgraves has also been covering the late country icon's songs on tour
Kacey Musgraves honored the late, great country singer with a cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" at the MTV Video Music Awards
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