ABC and Disney+ will air a live two-hour tribute to Dolly Parton this fall. CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton airs Wednesday, October 21, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on ABC and on Disney+ in the U.S. and internationally, and will be available to stream on Hulu the following day.
The Country Music Association is producing the special with Belmont University, and it will be filmed live at Belmont’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville. It will feature performances, archival footage and personal stories covering Parton’s life as an artist, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian and entrepreneur.
Tickets Go On Sale September 30
Tickets to see the special in person go on sale Wednesday, September 30, at 10 a.m. CT through the Fisher Center. Prices start at $95, a nod to Parton’s “9 to 5,” and the CMA expects them to go quickly because of the venue’s size.
Performers and guests have not been announced yet. The CMA says those details are coming in the next few days.
Why Belmont
The Fisher Center hosted the world premiere of Parton’s biographical musical, DOLLY: A True Original Musical, in 2025, and Belmont launched DOLLY U with her, an educational partnership that gives students hands-on work in entertainment, media and creative industries.
“Now, it is a privilege to welcome artists, friends and fans from around the world to celebrate her extraordinary life and legacy from this stage in Nashville, honoring a woman whose love for Tennessee was woven into everything she did,” said Belmont University president Dr. Greg Jones.
Proceeds For The Imagination Library
The CMA and Belmont will donate a portion of the special’s proceeds to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the program she founded in 1995 that gives children a free book every month. Disney is also supporting the Imagination Library as part of the special.
Disney has a second Imagination Library fundraiser in October. The restored 9 to 5 returns to theaters October 9 through 15 from 20th Century Studios, and Disney will donate net proceeds from every U.S. ticket to The Dollywood Foundation in support of the program.
Parton And Disney
Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80, following what her family described as a brief battle with cancer. For Disney audiences, she was also Aunt Dolly on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, playing the godmother of Miley Stewart, the character played by her real-life goddaughter Miley Cyrus.
“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,” said Sarah Trahern, CEO of the CMA. She called the special “our way of saying thank you, on behalf of every artist, industry member and fan who found a piece of themselves in her music.”
“Dolly gave country music its heart, and giving some of that heart back to her is an incredible honor,” said executive producer Robert Deaton. “My hope is simply that we do right by her story, her music and the people who love her, so that this evening feels like the tribute my friend deserves.”
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