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Taylor Swift paid tribute to the “ultimate showgirl” Dolly Parton at the MTV VMAs 2026 on Sunday night.
While accepting the video of the year award for “Fate of Ophelia,” the pop star “dedicate[d]” it to the “one person without whom this wouldn’t be happening.”
The “Life of a Showgirl” singer gushed, “Every single song that she wrote, her storytelling was so vivid and so rich. Listening to her songs, it’s like watching the best music video you have ever seen in your life, every single time you hear what she’s written.”
Swift also highlighted the “grace and joy and love and gratitude” Parton, who died in Aug. 25 at 80, embodied throughout her career.
“Everything that happened in her life … she channeled back into love and gratitude and appreciation for her fans,” the 36-year-old continued.
“I am lucky I got to be one of them, and I will always be one of them,” she concluded. “I think that we were all very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a time.”
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Parton, who kept her health struggles out of the spotlight, was also honored at the VMAs with Kacey Musgraves’ performance of “I Will Always Love You.”
Swift, notably, penned a lengthy tribute when the late actress lost her secret battle to cancer last month.
“A world without Dolly doesn’t feel possible, real, or right,” she wrote at the time. “But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.”
She praised the “9 to 5” hitmaker’s “softest heart” and “backbone of steel.”
Swift added, “She managed to give the world the ultimate mystery and fantasy in some corners of her life, but to give full transparency in the ways that counted.”
Parton repeatedly praised Swift prior to her passing, telling E! News in a 2024 interview, “I’m just crazy about Taylor. I just admire her so much for what she’s done with her life. Her career. Such a great artist and songwriter.”
Swift had a big night at Sunday’s show, becoming the most awarded artist in VMAs history after taking home the inaugural Artist Director Honors award.
The songwriter, who stunned on the red carpet in a Tamara Ralph Couture halter gown, also debuted her “Patient Zero” music video.
While Swift’s husband, Travis Kelce, was not present for the occasion due to an NFL game, he did show support for his wife’s wins with an Instagram “like.”
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