Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Dolly Parton at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, singing “I Will Always Love You” in a piano-and-voice performance. The tribute opened with a video of Parton singing, joined by Musgraves on the final lines; it honoured a country music icon who was a major inspiration to Musgraves.

The performance was pre-recorded because Musgraves was playing in Nashville on her Middle of Nowhere tour that night. She had returned to the VMAs for the first time in five years and was nominated in the country category, introduced in 2025, for “Dry Spell”. Parton died on 25 August, and Musgraves has also honoured her on tour with covers of “9 to 5” and “Here You Come Again”.