Kacey Musgraves delivered an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, performing "I Will Always Love You" following the country music icon's death on 25 August at age 80. The VMAs, which also featured performances by Madonna and other artists, honoured Parton's legacy as both a legendary musician and humanitarian who used her platform to make meaningful contributions to the world, notably through her Imagination Library. The tribute celebrated Parton's enduring impact on music and culture rather than focusing solely on her passing.

Musgraves, who attended the awards with a nomination for Best Country for her album "Middle of Nowhere," was visibly emotional during the performance. Parton left behind an extraordinary catalogue of over 3,000 songs written during her career and a legacy as an exemplary public figure. Following Parton's death, Musgraves expressed her profound grief on social media, initially posting a blank Instagram caption before tweeting her anguish, describing how the world "feels a lot less sparkly" without her. For Musgraves, this tribute represented saying goodbye to a friend and role model who had profoundly influenced her life and career.