Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves give sweet Dolly Parton tributes at MTV VMAs

Devarrick Turner, Knoxville News SentinelMon, September 28, 2026 at 3:51 PM UTC

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Madonna was the queen of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, but the Queen of Country Music received plenty of love, too.

Despite never being nominated for a VMA, the late Dolly Parton was honored by Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift during the Sept. 27 ceremony.

Musgraves performed a special tribute to Parton by singing “I Will Always Love You,” which began with a video of Parton, herself.

A video of Parton in a classic 1980s outfit appeared onscreen while sharing a message to husbands not to criticize their wives before singing the first few lines of her classic hit. Musgraves harmonized as the camera panned to her in a glittering purple outfit. She then took lead, backed only by piano.

The song ended with Parton appearing in the clip and telling the audience, “I will always love you” and “Bye-bye,” with a giggle.

Swift dedicated her video of the year award for "The Fate of Ophelia” to the “ultimate showgirl.”

"Last, but the most important, I want to thank and dedicate this award to one person, without whom this wouldn’t be happening, and that person is the ultimate showgirl, Dolly Parton,” Swift said to huge applause and cheers from the crowd.

Swift said Parton's storytelling was so vivid and rich that listening to her songs was like watching the best music video you’d ever seen.

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"She handled this (stardom) thing with so much grace and joy and love and gratitude for the fact she got to do this," Swift said. "And everything that happened in her life and career, she channeled back into love and appreciation for her fans. I am lucky I got to be one of them, and I will always be one of them.

“I think we were all very, very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a time," she concluded.

Nearly two months before she died, Parton personally thanked Swift and her husband, Jason Kelce, for donating $2 million to Parton’s Imagination Library.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude,” Parton said in the July 3 video.

“The mission of the Dollywood Foundation is to dream more, care more, learn more and be more. And thank you again for your very generous gift. And we'll continue that mission even in bigger ways now with your money. So, thank you and know that I will always love you,” Parton said.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves give sweet Dolly Parton tributes at MTV VMAs

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