Kacey Musgraves Honors Dolly Parton at VMAs with "I Will Always Love You"

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Sep 27, 2026 5:38pm PT

Kacey Musgraves Pays Heartfelt Tribute to Dolly Parton With ‘I Will Always Love You’ Performance at MTV Video Music Awards

By Steven J. Horowitz

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Steven J. Horowitz

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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 with a little bit of advice,” she said. “Don’t criticize your wife’s judgment. You just remember who she married. Just kidding you. There’s a lot of truth in that and I would also like to say about life, I hope it treats you real kind and I hope that you have all that you ever dreamed of.”

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_Originally reported by [Variety Music](https://variety.com/2026/music/awards/kacey-musgraves-dolly-parton-tribute-mtv-vmas-performance-1236876461/)._