Carrie Underwood Pays Tribute to Dolly Parton With a Custom Jacket and Emotional Performance

Carrie Underwood found a deeply personal way to honor Dolly Parton during her recent concert at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts.

Just days after Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80, Underwood stepped onto the stage wearing a custom jacket created in her honor. Later in the concert, she became emotional while speaking about Parton’s influence, faith and kindness before dedicating her song “See You Again” to the country legend.

The tribute took place during Underwood’s August 30 performance at Tanglewood. The singer’s clothing had already made the message clear before she said a word.

The custom jacket featured Parton’s initials, “DP,” on the back, along with butterflies and one of Parton’s best-known sayings: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

Underwood later shared photos giving fans a closer look at the jacket and its personal details.

Carrie Underwood Gets Emotional Remembering Dolly Parton

During the concert, Underwood paused to reflect on Parton’s death and the extraordinary impact she had on generations of artists and fans.

Speaking to the audience, Underwood described Parton as a major influence and recalled her as one of the kindest people she had ever met.

She said the news had felt like a shock to the entire world, adding that Parton was someone who seemed to transcend “all space and all time.”

Underwood also spoke about her faith, making it clear that she believed Parton was in heaven and that her influence would continue through the people whose lives she touched.

That led naturally into the song she had chosen for the moment.

“I know where she is. I know how much she loved Jesus,” Underwood told the crowd. She explained that her next song was especially meaningful to her and felt appropriate for the occasion because so many people have someone they have lost but still hope to see again.

Then she asked the audience to raise their phones and fill the venue with light for “Miss Dolly.”

“See You Again” Becomes a Tribute to Dolly

With phone lights shining throughout the audience, Underwood began “See You Again,” her 2013 hit about the hope of being reunited with someone after death.

The song’s message gave the performance an especially poignant meaning following Parton’s passing. Underwood’s emotional delivery, combined with the audience’s lights, created a tribute centered on remembrance, faith and the belief that saying goodbye does not have to mean forgetting.

The moment also reflected the personal connection Underwood had developed with Parton over the years.

Their musical relationship dates back to 2009, when Parton appeared on Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special. The two singers performed Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” together during the special, just four years after Underwood won American Idol.

That duet remains one of the memorable collaborations between the two country stars.

Underwood Had Already Shared a Heartfelt Tribute

The Tanglewood performance was not Underwood’s first public tribute to Parton following her death.

Soon after Parton died, Underwood shared a collection of photographs showing the two women together over the years. The slideshow included images from their performances and collaborations, offering a glimpse at the relationship between two generations of country music.

In her message, Underwood emphasized that she did not think of Parton as truly gone. She pointed to Parton’s faith, grace, talent, beauty and humor, while remembering the way she made the people around her feel valued.

Underwood also highlighted Parton’s devotion to Jesus and the warmth she showed to others.

She described Parton as someone who seemed to be universally loved, writing that she was one of a kind and that no one would ever come close to taking her place.

Underwood acknowledged the sadness of losing such a legendary figure while framing Parton’s death through her faith, saying that while the world had lost a legend, heaven had gained an angel.

Her final words in that tribute welcomed Parton home.

A Friendship Built Through Music

The photographs Underwood shared also brought attention back to the history the two singers had built together.

Their 2009 “I Will Always Love You” duet came during Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, a two-hour FOX variety special featuring Underwood alongside Parton, Brad Paisley, David Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, Christina Applegate and others. The special aired on December 7, 2009.

For Underwood, who was still relatively early in her career at the time, sharing the stage with Parton on one of Parton’s signature songs was a significant musical moment.

The connection between the two continued beyond that early collaboration. They also shared the stage at the 2019 CMA Awards, another reminder of the longstanding respect between the two artists.

Now, following Parton’s death at 80, Underwood has found another way to honor the woman she clearly regarded as both an extraordinary artist and a deeply kind person.

From the custom “DP” jacket to the sea of phone lights at Tanglewood, the tribute carried a simple message: Dolly Parton’s career may have come to an end, but the music, memories and influence she left behind remain.