CMA Honors Dolly Parton With Molly Tuttle, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Ella Langley & More
Watch official video of performances from the televised tribute to the country music legend.
By Andy Kahn Oct 22, 2026 • 7:38 am PDT
The Country Music Association paid tribute to Dolly Parton on Wednesday with CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a two-hour televised live special held at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville. Molly Tuttle, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Ella Langley were among more than 20 performers who appeared on ABC and Disney+.
A legend of country music, Dolly Parton died on August 25 at age 80. The all-star tribute reflected Parton’s long-lasting and wide-ranging influence and showcased her philanthropic endeavors alongside many musical achievements. A portion of the TV special’s proceeds will go to Parton’s Imagination Library.
The special opened with “A Few Old Memories,” performed by Tuttle, Béla Fleck, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs. Country artist Lainey Wilson then joined them for “Train, Train.”
Brad Paisley and Sierra Hull performed “When I Get Where I’m Going,” Little Big Town played “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning” and Darius Rucker sang “Two Doors Down” with a brass band behind him.
Reba, who performed “Appalachian Memories” for Parton at the Emmy Awards in September, sang “He’s Alive” with a Belmont University student ensemble. Carly Pearce and Kristin Chenoweth paired up for “9 To 5.”
Wilson reemerged to join Lukas Nelson for “You Can’t Make Old Friends.” Lady A performed Parton’s collaboration with Kenny Rogers, “Islands In The Stream.” Kelsea Ballerini sang “Here You Come Again” and Ashley McBryde played “Coat Of Many Colors.”
Zac Brown Band frontman Zac Brown offered his “Butterfly” and discussed how he wrote the song and what it means to have Parton as part of it. Rising country singer-songwriter Ella Langley sang one of Parton’s best-known songs, “Jolene.”
Carrie Underwood sang Parton’s signature “I Will Always Love You,” which Whitney Houston later turned into a worldwide hit. The televised special also aired pre-recorded tributes by Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts and Sabrina Carpenter.
The full special is available to stream on Hulu. Watch video highlights of the tributes below:
