Kacey Musgraves Honors Dolly Parton With VMA Memorial Performance

Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards broadcast, delivering a recorded rendition of Parton's signature 1974 ballad, "I Will Always Love You."

The telecast tribute aired approximately one month after Parton's death, according to a report from Variety.

The presentation opened with archival footage of Parton introducing the classic song before transitioning into Musgraves' vocal performance.

Selecting Musgraves for the segment aligned with the broadcast's historical approach to balancing traditional roots with broader pop entertainment, as the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has long cited Parton as a foundational creative influence.

For MTV, dedicating prime broadcast real estate to a country music pioneer underscores the ongoing value of legacy catalog appeal during major linear events. Hollywood Tomorrow notes that legacy tributes remain reliable viewership drivers for award telecasts seeking cross-generational engagement across broadcast and social video channels.

Parton wrote and originally recorded "I Will Always Love You" in 1974, creating one of the most enduring intellectual properties in American popular music before the song found further multi-platinum success through Whitney Houston's 1992 recording.