CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, took place on Wednesday night. The event was full of moments that honored Dolly Parton’s legacy, and performances from some of our favorite country acts.
The tribute was a celebration of Parton’s legacy, following her passing on August 25. The “Jolene” singer had suffered from a few health issues over the past several years, including a “brief battle with cancer.”
Several country stars, including Lainey Wilson, wowed the audience with heartfelt performances. Wilson performed “Train, Train” from Parton’s album The Grass Is Blue. Later on in the night, Wilson also joined Lukas Nelson for a duet of “You Can’t Make Old Friends”.
A few years back, the singer recorded a duet of “Mama She’s Crazy” with Parton for The Judd’s tribute album. The project came out in October of 2023. Later on, Wilson would discuss her budding friendship with the musical icon.
“It’s insane. She has become a dear friend, which is also weird for me to say,” she shared during an appearance on Nova 96.9’s Ricki-Lee & Tim in Sydney, Australia. “The way that she has, like, continued to pave a path and I mean, she’s an incredible human businesswoman, like, she’s just got it going on.”
Lainey Wilson Reveals Details of Final Phone Call With Parton
Following Parton’s death in August, Wilson wrote a heartfelt tribute to the icon on social media. The “4X4XU” singer revealed that a few weeks before her death, the two country stars shared a special phone call.
“My Dolly. 
I felt like you were my friend before we even met…you made everybody feel that way,” Wilson wrote. “But once we became friends, boy did we have a lot to talk about… I sure am glad you called a couple of weeks ago. We got to talk about the business, the sacrifice, how special Carl Dean was to you and how important Duck is to me…you told me that ‘it’s all great and stuff that Duck lets you be you, but you better make sure you let Duck be himself too.’”
Wilson talked a little bit more about her conversation with Parton, which involved talk about faith.
“I am thankful the Lord gave you a gift, you decided to share it, and the Lord decided to share you with us,” she wrote. “I will always love you, my friend. 
”
Photo by: John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA
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