Kacey Musgraves Reflects on How Beloved Dolly Parton Was: Like ‘Mister Rogers Wearing Rhinestones’

Kacey Musgraves has described Dolly Parton as a warm, humble and humorous presence, recalling their encounters and saying she was determined not to be late when working with her. Musgraves said Parton’s death prompted a sense of shared grief and showed how deeply people valued her as a unifying figure.

Musgraves compared Parton to “Mister Rogers wearing rhinestones” and called her perhaps the closest thing the United States has to royalty. The pair performed together at the 2019 Grammys, and Musgraves later honoured Parton with a performance of “I Will Always Love You” at the MTV Video Music Awards. Musgraves also discussed her new album, *Middle of Nowhere*, which is nominated for CMA Album of the Year; she has five nominations ahead of the 18 November ceremony.