Vince Gill Remembers Dolly Parton With a Rare Performance of “I Will Always Love You”
For Vince Gill, one of his most treasured memories of Dolly Parton comes down to a single note.
Following Parton’s death at age 80 on Aug. 25, 2026, Gill shared an emotional tribute to the Country Music Hall of Fame member, recalling the moment they performed her signature song together at the CMA Awards.
“We are all crushed here at our house,” Gill said Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Parton died peacefully in Nashville following a short battle with cancer, according to a statement from her publicist. She had spoken publicly about health challenges during the previous year, though she had not indicated that they were serious.
The Dolly Parton and Vince Gill duet that deserves another listen
Gill and Parton recorded only one official duet together, but the pairing produced one of the most memorable versions of “I Will Always Love You.”
Parton invited Gill to join her on a new recording of the song for her 1995 album Something Special. The album, released Aug. 22, 1995, featured a new version of the song as a duet with Gill.
The collaboration eventually became a Top 20 country hit, reaching No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was also Parton’s final Top 20 hit on the country chart, according to the original account.
The duet was released as a single in November 1995. Before that, the pair had performed it at the Grand Ole Opry in August, where the performance generated enough attention for country radio stations to begin playing the recording.
What makes the recording particularly striking is the way the two singers share the song.
Parton takes the lead, while Gill brings a restrained, delicate vocal approach that complements her rather than competing with her. When their voices come together for the chorus, the arrangement becomes considerably more powerful.
By the final notes, Gill’s harmonies provide the emotional lift that makes the duet so memorable.
The performance Gill remembers most
For Gill, however, the recording itself is not the moment that has stayed with him.
His most vivid memory came when he and Parton performed “I Will Always Love You” at the CMA Awards.
“One of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard was when Dolly and I sang that last note of ‘I Will Always Love You’ the year we performed it on the CMA Awards,” Gill said in his tribute.
The performance took place during the period when Parton was promoting Something Special. The 29th Annual CMA Awards were held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Oct. 4, 1995, with Gill serving as host.
Their collaboration would receive further recognition the following year. At the 30th Annual CMA Awards on Oct. 2, 1996, Parton and Gill won Vocal Event of the Year for “I Will Always Love You.”
The song also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.
For a song Parton had written herself and originally recorded decades earlier, the Gill duet became another important chapter in its long history.
A collaboration that remained unusually rare
Although Parton and Gill would share the stage again during tribute performances at the Grand Ole Opry in the years that followed, their official duet recording remained a singular collaboration.
That rarity makes the CMA performance Gill remembered especially poignant.
The recording of “I Will Always Love You” with Gill was Parton’s third studio version of the song. Her original recording appeared on her 1974 album Jolene, and she recorded it again for the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The 1995 version with Gill gave the song another life on country radio.
More than three decades later, Gill was still thinking about the sound of their voices coming together.
His recollection offers a glimpse into what the collaboration meant to him, particularly now that Parton is gone.
Bill Anderson also remembered Parton through the song
Gill was not the only country music veteran to connect his memories of Parton with “I Will Always Love You.”
Country legend Bill Anderson shared a tribute centered on a more recent encounter.
Anderson recalled the last words Parton said to him: “Bill Anderson — I Will Always Love You.”
The moment came through a giant video screen inside the Grand Ole Opry House during a celebration of Anderson’s 65th Opry anniversary a few weeks before Parton’s death.
He remembered Parton smiling at him from the screen and said the gesture made an already special night even more meaningful.
Her death, Anderson said, “has rocked my world.”
He also looked back to the time they sang together in 2023, recalling the song “Someday It’ll All Make Sense.”
For both Anderson and Gill, memories of Parton remain closely tied to music, performance and the unmistakable warmth she brought to those moments.
And for Gill, the memory that stands above the rest is remarkably simple: two voices meeting on the final note of “I Will Always Love You.”