Sep 16, 2026 - News

Live primetime special honoring Dolly Parton to air Oct. 21 from Nashville

Adam Tamburin

Dolly Parton performs on stage at The Dominion Theatre on March 29th, 1983 in London, United Kingdom. — Dolly Parton in 1983. Photo: Pete Still/Redferns via Getty

Nashville will host a two-hour celebration of Dolly Parton's life and legacy next month that will air live in primetime.

The big picture: The Country Music Association announced Wednesday that it is producing the special, "I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton," on Oct. 21 at Belmont University.

ABC and Disney+ will broadcast the event live from 8-10pm.

Zoom in: The special will blend tribute performances with archival footage and personal stories.

Between the lines: Broadcasts honoring Parton have brought in big ratings since her death on Aug. 25.

Variety reports a quickly organized Aug. 30 repeat of "9 to 5" on ABC averaged 4.275 million viewers, making it the most-watched movie on network TV in more than three and a half years.
ABC's special news report that aired the day she died was the biggest 9pm non-sports telecast in three months.

Zoom out: The CMA and Belmont will put some of the event proceeds toward Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

If you go: The event will take place at Belmont's Fisher Center. Ticket info is forthcoming.

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Live primetime special honoring Dolly Parton to air Oct. 21 from Nashville

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