At the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, Kacey Musgraves honored Dolly Parton with an emotional performance of "I Will Always Love You" at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The tribute followed a video montage of Parton’s messages to fans and her iconic song. Musgraves, nominated for Best Country for “Dry Spell,” wore a sparkling pink outfit adorned with feathers. Host Snoop Dogg praised the performance as an appropriate way to pay homage to the legendary country star, who passed away on August 25, 2026, at age 80 after battling cancer privately since last year.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Kacey Musgraves paid an emotional tribute to the late country icon Dolly Parton by performing her signature song “I Will Always Love You.” The performance was preceded by a video clip of Dolly, who passed away earlier that year after battling cancer at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Musgraves, dressed in a pink sequined outfit with feathered cuffs and sporting high-volume hair inspired by Parton’s signature look, sang in front of a star-studded audience. The tribute was part of her first VMAs performance since 2016 and came as she was nominated for Best Country for “Dry Spell.” Musgraves has long cited Parton as one of her biggest musical influences, participating in previous tributes at the CMA Awards and Grammys.
Written for “Kacey Musgrapes Vmas Tribute” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Kacey Musgraves honored late country icon Dolly Parton with a heartwarming tribute at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Sunday.
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Musgraves → honor → Awards
The “Slow Burn” singer took the stage following a video clip of the legendary country icon played on a big screen.
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singer → take → screen
Parton was shown in a retro flashback, saying “I wish you joy, I wish you lots and lots of happiness, but you know what, above all this I wish you love,” before launching into one of her most beloved hits, “I Will Always Love You.”
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I → show → You
The video of Parton singing then seamlessly segued into Musgraves, dressed in a sparkling pink outfit trimmed with feathers, taking over the song in front of a star-studded audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
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Musgraves → sing → Angeles
“That’s how you honor a legend … we love you, Dolly,” enthused host Snoop Dogg, following the performance.
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Dogg → ’ → performance
Musgraves, 38, was announced to perform at the awards ceremony for the first time in five years on Wednesday.
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Musgraves → announce → Wednesday
The country singer was also nominated in the category of Best Country for her track “Dry Spell,” along with Ella Langley (“Choosin’ Texas”), Lainey Wilson (“Somewhere Over Laredo”), Luke Combs (“Back in the Saddle”), Shaboozey (“Cowgirl”), Stella Lefty (“Boston”) and Tucker Wetmore (“Brunette”).
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singer → nominate → Saddle
Musgraves and Parton previously shared the stage at the 2019 Grammys, performing a rendition of the latter’s 1977 hit “Here You Come Again.”
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You → share → hit
As Page Six previously reported, Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80.
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Parton → report → 80
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her reps told Page Six in a statement, referring to a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched.
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she → face → everything
Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.
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she → reach → hand
While Parton kept her battle with cancer a secret, she often gave fans updates on her health after being forced to pull out of an appearance at her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee last September.
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she → keep → Tennessee
“Turns out there was an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling around this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’” she told fans in a pre-recorded video at the time.
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she → turn → time
The “9 to 5” singer’s last public appearance was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for her “Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop” in June.
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appearance → cut → June
News of Parton’s death came over a year after the singer’s husband, Carl Dean, died at the age of 82 in March 2025.
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husband → come → March
Since then, several celebrities have paid tribute to Parton, including her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, her “9 to 5” co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, as well as her “Steel Magnolias” castmates.
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celebrities → pay → 5
Earlier this month, Sally Field and country superstar Reba McEntire paid their respects to Parton at the 2026 Emmys, while actress Julia Stiles honored her during an episode of “Dancing With the Stars.”
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Stiles → pay → Stars
Conversation
Your voice matters.
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voice → matter → ?
Discussions are moderated for civility.
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Discussions → moderate → civility
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