Kacey Musgraves Honors Longtime Hero Dolly Parton With a Sparkling Tribute at the 2026 VMAs

Kacey Musgraves just flawlessly carried her ultimate hero Dolly Parton’s rhinestoned legacy with a touching tribute at the 2026 VMAs. The “Dry Spell” hitmaker took the stage with big hair and a sparkling, feathered hot pink gown as an homage to Dolly’s maximalist feminine style to perform a stunning rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”CBS Photo Archive//Getty ImagesThis isn’t the first time Kacey has honored Dolly’s legacy. At the 2019 Grammys, she performed with Dolly and other artists like Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Maren Morris to celebrate her as the MusiCares Person of the Year.Jeff Kravitz//Getty ImagesThat same year, she gushed about the multihyphenate’s impact on her during an interview with Billboard. “Beauty, sex appeal, brains, wit, humor, beautiful songwriting, meaningful songwriting, no apologies for who she is, LGBTQ advocate long before it was even a thing or trendy or whatever,” she said. “She’s fearless, and I admire her spirit a lot and she’s very kind. She’s very present when you’re talking to her and I just really love her so much.”More recently, Kacey performed Dolly’s 1977 song, “Here You Come Again,” during the Boston stop of her Middle of Nowhere Tour on August 28. She also dedicated her Grammy-winning song, “Rainbow,” to the late singer.Dolly, who became one of the most famous pop culture figures in history thanks to her songwriting, movies, and philanthropic efforts, tragically passed on August 25 after a quiet battle with cancer.Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced the news in a video message to fans, saying, “My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family whether you liked it or not,” before later closing his message with, “She will always love you.”Along with other celebrities, supporters, and collaborators, Kacey expressed her devastation over the loss on social media.“Dolly. 💔 This really really hurts,” she wrote, in part, before adding, “The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.”She also shared a selfie with Dolly on Instagram in light of her passing.Something tells us Dolly is sparkling and smiling down on Kacey after her moving tribute on the VMAs stage.