Vince Gill Says He’s ‘Crushed’ Over Death of Friend and Collaborator Dolly Parton

Kirsty HatcherWed, August 26, 2026 at 9:26 AM UTC

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Vince Gill and Dolly Parton in 2016Credit: Erika Goldring/FilmMagic -

Vince Gill is mourning the death of his longtime friend and collaborator Dolly Parton following her death at the age of 80

In a tribute, Gill reflected on his 1995 CMA Awards performance of “I Will Always Love You” with the country icon

Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death on Instagram on Tuesday, Aug. 25

Vince Gill is paying tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator Dolly Parton following the news of her death at the age of 80.

In a statement obtained by PEOPE, country star Gill, 69, called Parton an “icon” and his “longtime friend.” “We are all crushed here at our house,” the “I Still Believe In You” singer said. “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 [in 1995].”

Gill and Parton’s 1995 collaboration on the track, which was written and originally recorded by Parton in 1973, won a CMA the following year for Vocal Event of the Year, as well as garnering a nomination at the 1996 Grammys in the Country Collaboration with Vocal category.

Vince Gill and Dolly Parton onstage in Nashville in 2010Credit: Frederick Breedon/Getty

The song topped the country charts twice, but it became the hit it is today when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

In 2015, Parton opened up to PEOPLE about the first time she heard Houston’s version of the song on the radio. “It was a worldwide thing. It was in a movie; it was No. 1. I thought, ‘Wow. I wrote that little song,’ ” the legendary musician said. “That’s when I felt my worth as a songwriter. I thought, ‘This is my gift, and I’m going to do the best I can with it.’ ”

Vince Gill and Dolly Parton in 1995Credit: Ron Davis/Getty

The “Jolene” singer’s death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Representatives for Parton later told PEOPLE that the icon’s death followed a “brief battle with cancer.” She had been admitted to the hospital four days before her death.

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Earlier in the day, in a clip shared to Instagram, Seaver said that the video announcement was “something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.”

Dolly Parton in May 2025Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty

“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” he said, adding, “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”

Other country stars paying tribute to Parton included Blake Shelton, her longtime friend Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris.

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McEntire, 71, shared photos of the two together through the years on Instagram and wrote, “Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on earth. Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.”

“There will never ever be another you,” McEntire continued. “We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang. Thank you, Lord, for Dolly. She’s gonna have a blast in heaven singing all her favorite songs with all her family and friends who have gone on before her. I’ll never forget the first time I met you and I’ll never forget our last conversation. I hold it with love in my heart. I will always love you, Reba.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”