NASHVILLE — Dolly Parton’s songs brought several generations of performers together on October 21, 2026, as ABC and the Country Music Association staged a two-hour celebration of her life at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. With Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill and newer country stars participating, the programme connected her musical influence with the generosity that made her a figure far beyond country music.
Titled CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, the special aired live on ABC and Disney+ following Parton’s death on August 25 at the age of 80. The event combined performances with personal memories and archival material. Robert Deaton served as executive producer, with CMA and Belmont working together on the Nashville production.
The broadcast also found a substantial audience. In an October 26 ratings announcement, ABC reported 4.74 million total viewers across ABC and Disney+ and a first-place finish in total viewers during its 9–11 p.m. slot. The network cited Nielsen’s Live+Same Day figures and described the result as its strongest Wednesday entertainment performance in that time period during 2026.
On October 22, CMA, Belmont University, The Walt Disney Company and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced a combined $1 million donation to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The gift extended the tribute into her literacy work.
The programme’s musical range matched the breadth of its subject. Its selections reached from bluegrass and country storytelling to crossover hits and spiritual material. Meanwhile, Billboard’s October 27 account reported filmed tributes from Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Sabrina Carpenter, Goldie Hawn and Bono, showing how widely Parton’s friendships and influence extended beyond the artists performing in Nashville.
Carrie Underwood’s performance of “I Will Always Love You,” which CMA’s published programme lists with the full cast, provided a gathering point for the celebration. The song also supplied the special’s title, placing Parton’s songwriting at the centre of an event devoted to her wider legacy. CMA’s official video of Underwood’s performance appears below.
A catalogue that connected different generations
The programme released by CMA included Ashley McBryde’s “Coat of Many Colors,” Darius Rucker’s “Two Doors Down” and Carly Pearce and Kristin Chenoweth’s “9 to 5.” The selections placed emerging stars and established performers inside the same musical history.
Bluegrass players Béla Fleck, Ricky Skaggs and Molly Tuttle joined Vince Gill on “A Few Old Memories.” Little Big Town contributed “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” The programme moved between intimate recollection and familiar choruses, reflecting a repertoire that could accommodate several musical traditions.
McEntire’s contribution went beyond her performance. In Billboard’s report, she described Parton as a source of encouragement for people who felt different or were told their ambitions were too large. Gill likewise emphasised her capacity to unite people with different backgrounds. These recollections positioned the evening around the welcome people associated with Parton as much as around the records themselves.
Remembering the person behind the performances
The event had been designed to tell a larger story through music, footage and personal testimony. CMA’s September announcement identified Parton’s songwriting, entertainment career, humanitarian work and entrepreneurship as parts of the portrait it intended to present. That framework allowed the programme to acknowledge the range of her public life while keeping familiar songs as its organising thread.
Ahead of the broadcast, McEntire spoke to ABC News’ Lara Spencer about the affection Parton inspired. Brad Paisley also highlighted younger artists’ willingness to take part, including performers whose connection to her came through her influence rather than a personal meeting. The interviews, published by Good Morning America, help explain why the cast crossed generations: her work had reached people at very different stages of their own careers.
The literacy legacy continues
The Imagination Library began in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1995. Its official programme history describes a service that sends free books to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income. What started in Parton’s home community later expanded nationally and into Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
The tribute’s partners connected remembrance with an ongoing service for families. CMA identified the $1 million as a combined organisational contribution, rather than a total raised solely from viewers. The gift carries a practical part of Parton’s work beyond the broadcast.
Where to watch the celebration
ABC and CMA say the special is available on Disney+ and Hulu following its original live broadcast. Availability can depend on territory and subscription. The official CMA clips below offer two further performances from the same October 21 event: McEntire’s “He’s Alive” and Langley’s “Jolene.” They sit alongside Underwood’s performance as examples of the different strands of Parton’s music represented in the programme.
Reba McEntire — “He’s Alive.” CMA’s programme credits McEntire with the Belmont Singers, connecting the university hosting the event with one of its featured performances.
Ella Langley — “Jolene.” The newer country star’s contribution places another generation of performers inside the tribute to Parton’s songwriting and recorded legacy.
