Country Music Is Saying Goodbye to Dolly Parton, And This Two-Hour Live Tribute Could Be the Year’s Most Emotional Night
CMA’s two-hour celebration of the late icon will air live from Nashville, and every Dolly Parton fan will want to mark their calendar now.
Country music is preparing to say “I will always love you” to the woman who gave those words to the world.
The Country Music Association has announced CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a two-hour live television special honoring the extraordinary life, music and generosity of Dolly Parton. The event will air Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9 to 11 p.m. EDT on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming available on Hulu.
And while the performers have yet to be revealed, this already sounds like one of the most unforgettable and emotional nights country music fans will experience all year.
Nashville Will Celebrate the Woman Who Changed Everything
Filmed live at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville, the special promises far more than a collection of familiar songs. Through live performances, archival footage and deeply personal stories, the broadcast will retrace Parton’s remarkable journey from the mountains of East Tennessee to stages and homes around the world.
Parton died peacefully in Nashville on Aug. 25 at age 80, according to her official memorial announcement. Her loss has been felt far beyond Music Row. She was a once-in-a-generation songwriter, a magnetic entertainer, a trailblazing businesswoman and a humanitarian whose kindness became as famous as her rhinestones.
Now, the genre she helped shape is preparing to give some of that love back.
CMA CEO Sarah Trahern described honoring Parton as a responsibility for the country music community, while executive producer Robert Deaton said the goal is to create the tribute his longtime friend deserves. That sense of personal connection could make the evening especially powerful: This will not simply be an industry retrospective. It will be a goodbye from the artists, colleagues and fans who saw pieces of their own lives reflected in Dolly’s songs.
The Biggest Surprise Is Still to Come
CMA has not yet announced the performers, ticket details or additional partners—and that mystery will likely have fans watching closely in the weeks ahead.
Parton’s catalog leaves room for countless unforgettable moments. From “Jolene” and
“Coat of Many Colors” to “9 to 5,” “Islands in the Stream” and the song that gives this special its name, her music crossed generations and genres without ever losing the warmth, wit and Appalachian storytelling at its heart.
The question now is: Which artists will step onto the Fisher Center stage to sing those songs?
With Parton’s influence stretching across country, pop, rock, bluegrass and gospel, the possibilities are enormous. Whoever joins the lineup will be taking on more than a hit—they will be helping tell the story of a woman whose work changed the shape of American music.
The Tribute Will Continue Dolly’s Mission
The night will also honor Parton in a way that feels especially true to her legacy. CMA and Belmont University will donate a portion of the event’s proceeds to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the book-gifting program she founded in 1995. Disney is also supporting the organization’s continuing mission.
Inspired by Parton’s father, who could not read or write, the Imagination Library has placed hundreds of millions of free books into the hands of young children. It remains one of the clearest examples of how Parton turned her success into opportunity for others, and how her impact will continue long after her final curtain call.
Belmont is a fitting home for the celebration. The university hosted the 2025 world premiere of DOLLY: A True Original Musical and partnered with the icon on DOLLY U, an educational initiative connecting students with real-world experience in entertainment, media and other creative fields.
One Night, a Lifetime of Memories
For fans, I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will be more than a television special. It will be a chance to laugh, cry, sing along and remember where they were when a Dolly Parton song first found them.
Her story began in a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains, but it reached nearly every corner of the culture. She made people feel seen. She made ambition look joyful. And through decades of songs, stories and giving, she proved that enormous success and an open heart could belong to the same person.
Country music may never have another Dolly Parton. On Oct. 21, it will come together to remind the world exactly why.
Fans can watch the tribute live Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 9/8c on ABC and Disney+, or stream it the following day on Hulu. Performers and ticket information will be announced in the coming weeks through CMA.
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