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Country Music Association To Salute Dolly Parton With Live, 2-Hour TV Special

CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton is set to air on Oct. 21, nearly a month before the CMA Awards.

By Paul Grein | Billboard | September 16, 2026

The Country Music Association (CMA) announced today that it is producing CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a two-hour television event in tribute to Dolly Parton, who died on Aug. 25 at age 80. The special will air live on Wednesday, Oct. 21 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET) on ABC and Disney+ internationally, available next day on Hulu. That is a nearly a month before the 60th annual CMA Awards, which are set to air on Nov. 18.

The CMA promises that “the special will be a joyful, emotional celebration of the artist, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian and entrepreneur whose music and generosity carried her from the mountains of east Tennessee into the hearts of generations around the world, told through performances, archival footage and personal stories…” 

Robert Deaton serves as executive producer of the special, which will be filmed live at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville.

Additional details about the special, including performers, tickets and additional partners, will be announced in the coming weeks. 

https://www.billboard.com/music/country/dolly-parton-salute-live-2-hour-tv-special-cma-producing-1236341363/