Dolly Parton special will feature country music's top stars
The singer and philanthropist died in August at the age of 80.
Some of country music's biggest stars are gathering this month to honor the late Dolly Parton in a Country Music Association and ABC special.
The "CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" special will feature an all-star lineup of singers and musicians, who'll sing her iconic songs and celebrate her legacy:
- Ashley McBryde
- Béla Fleck
- Brad Paisley
- Carly Pearce
- Carrie Underwood
- Darius Rucker
- Ella Langley
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Kristen Bell
- Kristin Chenoweth
- Lady A
- Lainey Wilson
- Little Big Town
- Lukas Nelson
- Molly Tuttle
- Reba McEntire
- Ricky Skaggs
- Sierra Hull
- Vince Gill
- Zac Brown
The Oct. 21 program will also include special guests Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
It will be filmed at Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, which also hosted the premiere of Parton's "Dolly" musical in 2025, and welcome a Belmont University student ensemble for a performance.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following what her family said was a "brief" battle with cancer. The beloved country music superstar was known as much for her philanthropy and entrepreneurship as she was for her music.
"Dolly Parton belonged to the whole world, but she was born of this industry, and this industry owes her a debt of gratitude that words alone cannot repay," CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said. "This special is our way of saying thank you, on behalf of every artist, industry member and fan who found a piece of themselves in her music."
Along with the special, the CMA and Belmont will donate a portion of proceeds from the special to benefit Parton's Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that has given away nearly 308 million books to children since 1995 to encourage reading.
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" will air live on Wednesday, Oct. 21 between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. The special will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
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