Introduction
I Will Always Love You: Remembering Dolly Parton
Tomorrow night, the lights will go down at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. For two hours, some of country music’s biggest stars—including Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, and Lainey Wilson—will gather for I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton. Airing live on ABC, this tribute honors the legend who passed away two months ago, on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. Every dollar raised will support her beloved Imagination Library, exactly as she would have wanted.
Dolly’s departure at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center sparked nationwide mourning. Flags were lowered, the Empire State Building glowed in her honor, and fans laid flowers on her Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Following a private funeral, she was laid to rest at Woodland Memorial Park beside Carl Dean, her husband of nearly 50 years, who passed away in March 2025.
Dolly’s story began in a one-room cabin in East Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. Raised in extreme poverty, her life changed through music and the deep love of her family. Her mother once sewed a coat out of colorful scraps, inspiring Dolly’s favorite song, Coat of Many Colors. The day after graduating high school in 1964, she boarded a bus to Nashville. On her very first day, she met Carl Dean outside a laundromat. They married in 1966, keeping their romance grounded and private for six decades.
Her big break arrived in 1967 on The Porter Wagoner Show. When she decided to go solo years later, she wrote I Will Always Love You as a heartfelt goodbye to Wagoner. She famously retained full publishing rights to the song—even turning down Elvis Presley—a decision that paid off when Whitney Houston’s 1992 iconic cover made music history.
Dolly was a powerhouse artist, winning 10 Grammy Awards, selling over 100 million records, and starring in hit films like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias. In 1986, she opened Dollywood to revitalize her hometown economy. To honor her illiterate father, she launched the Imagination Library in 1995, sending hundreds of millions of free books to children worldwide.
Though Dolly and Carl had no children of their own, she considered the world’s children her family. She shared a special bond with her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus. Just days before the Nashville tribute, Miley performed in Los Angeles, recalling how she asked for a sign from Dolly and watched the lights flicker.
From a humble mountain cabin to international stardom, Dolly Parton gave the world endless love, music, and hope. As fans gather to celebrate her legacy, her music and generosity will ensure she is never forgotten.