Kacey Musgraves Leads VMAs Tribute to Parton

Kacey Musgraves performed Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27 at the Peacock Theater. Archival footage of Parton singing the song opened the segment. Musgraves, in a sparkling pink gown and purple eyeshadow like Parton's, then performed and sang alongside the footage at the end. Host Snoop Dogg said, "And that's how you honor a legend." The Tennessean reported the performance was backed only by piano. It was Musgraves' first VMAs performance in five years; she was nominated for Best Country for "Dry Spell."

Parton died Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80. Nephew Bryan Seaver announced it on her Instagram, saying the family would keep her spirit alive and that she wanted "to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton" after a life of heavy rhinestones. "She will always love you," he said. Parton wrote the song about leaving Porter Wagoner's show; Whitney Houston covered it in 1992.

Left-rated coverage foregrounded the tribute's emotion and style details. No right-rated coverage was found.

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