Kacey Musgraves Shares Memories of Meeting Dolly Parton and Reveals the Habit She Once Broke for the Icon (Exclusive)

Jeff NelsonWed, November 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC

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Kacey Musgraves in L.A. on Oct. 21, 2026; Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves in L.A. in February 2019Credit:Greg Swales; Kevin Mazur/Getty -

Kacey Musgraves tells PEOPLE that Dolly Parton’s death led to “collective grief” for the U.S.

The “Dry Spell” singer got to meet the icon several times over the years, even performing her hit “Here You Come Again” together in 2019

“She bridged a lot of worlds for people,” Musgraves says of Parton

Kacey Musgraves is looking back on the time she spent with Dolly Parton.

“I was lucky to get to be around her several times, and each time I was just like, ‘What do I say?’” Musgraves, 38, says of meeting the icon before she died in August 2026 after being diagnosed with cancer.

The “Dry Spell” singer and Parton crossed paths over the years at various award shows and industry events. Musgraves even paid tribute to the country music legend in 2019, performing a duet of “Here You Come Again” with Katy Perry when Parton was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year; then she and Perry hit the stage with Parton herself at that years Grammys.

Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves performing at the 2019 Grammys in L.A.Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty

“She was exactly like you would think that she would be — so humble, sense of humor, fun, so professional, really warm,” Musgraves says. “You could see someone like that and understand how they could be closed off and jaded, but she was anything but that.”

And Musgraves even broke one of her habits for the “Jolene” singer specifically.

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“I think the only time I’ve probably ever been really, really on time in my life was doing something with Dolly. I was like, ‘I’m not being late for that!’” quips Musgraves, who sang on her 2018 hit “Slow Burn” that she was “born in a hurry / always late / haven’t been early since ’88.”

Parton’s family announced on Aug. 25 that she had died at the age of 80. At the time, Musgraves shared an Instagram post mourning the loss, before covering some of Parton’s hits (including “Here You Come Again” and “9 to 5” on her Middle of Nowhere tour). And at the VMAs in 2026, the “Follow Your Arrow” singer honored Parton during the in memoriam segment, performing a pitch-perfect cover of the icon’s enduring hit “I Will Always Love You.”

“I think losing Dolly was collective grief. And it really, I think, showed us how starved we are for a really true matriarch in that sense. She’s been with us for so long. She’s almost like Mr. Rogers, but times a billion in a way — Mr. Rogers wearing rhinestones. I was amazing to see how beloved she was and, I think, probably the closest thing we have to American royalty, you know what I mean?” Musgraves says.

Kacey Musgraves on the cover of the Nov. 23, 2026 issue of PEOPLECredit:Greg Swales

The Grammy winner adds: “She bridged a lot of worlds for people. Willie [Nelson] does the same thing. I even think Snoop Dogg does the same thing. There are certain people that come along that are that connector for a lot. It’s common ground for people. And so I think losing her felt extra sad at a time where it feels like a lot of people are at odds.”

PEOPLE VIPs can read our full conversation with Kacey Musgraves in this week’s issue, available right now in the app.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”