More than twelve years before her death, Dolly Parton made a prediction about the music people would play when she was gone. On October 21, 2026, Carrie Underwood stood before a photograph of the country legend and helped fulfill that prediction.
But the song Dolly Parton actually wanted for her own funeral was something else entirely. And the reason went back to a deeply personal memory of her father.
The Night Nashville Sang Goodbye
On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Country Music Association brought together more than 20 performers at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.
The two-hour television special, CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, honored the beloved entertainer nearly two months after Dolly Parton died on August 25 at age 80.
At the end of the evening, Vince Gill introduced Carrie Underwood for the final performance.
Wearing a flowing white gown decorated with butterflies, one of Dolly Parton’s favorite symbols, Carrie Underwood stood alone before a large black-and-white photograph of Dolly Parton.
Then Carrie Underwood began singing I Will Always Love You.
The song had originally been Dolly Parton’s farewell to Porter Wagoner, the country star who helped launch her national career. Released in 1974, it became one of Dolly Parton’s defining recordings before Whitney Houston introduced it to another generation in 1992.
As Carrie Underwood approached the final chorus, the performance changed. Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, and other performers gathered onstage to join in the closing lines.
When the song ended, the audience rose in a standing ovation.
For longtime country fans, it was a moving farewell. But Dolly Parton had spoken about hearing that song after someone’s death many years earlier.
What Dolly Parton Said After Whitney Houston’s Funeral
In February 2012, Whitney Houston died at age 48. During Whitney Houston’s funeral, the famous recording of I Will Always Love You played as pallbearers carried the coffin from the church.
Dolly Parton later explained how deeply that moment affected her. Hearing her own words during Whitney Houston’s final farewell brought home the reality of the loss.
Two years later, in a May 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dolly Parton was asked what music she would want played at her own funeral.
Dolly Parton answered with a prediction:
“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston.”
That prediction would take on new meaning in Nashville in October 2026.
But Dolly Parton didn’t stop with her most famous composition. When it came to the music she personally wanted, Dolly Parton named a different song.
The Gospel Song Dolly Parton Wanted at Her Funeral
The song was If We Never Meet Again, an old country-gospel hymn about separation, faith, and the hope of meeting loved ones again beyond this life.
Dolly Parton explained that the hymn had been a favorite of her father, Robert Lee Parton.
The Parton family had sung it at Robert Lee Parton’s funeral. That family connection mattered more to Dolly Parton than the fame of any recording.
In the same interview, Dolly Parton explained the choice with a simple sentence:
“That was my daddy’s favorite.”
Dolly Parton said she hoped the hymn would be sung at her own funeral, too.
Whether that wish was fulfilled during her private family service has not been publicly established. The October 21 CMA concert was a separate, televised celebration of Dolly Parton’s life.
Two Different Songs, Two Different Kinds of Goodbye
That distinction gives Carrie Underwood’s performance another layer of meaning.
I Will Always Love You was the song the world knew. It had traveled from a farewell between country music colleagues to one of the most recognizable recordings in popular music.
If We Never Meet Again belonged to a quieter part of Dolly Parton’s life: childhood faith, family memories, and the father whose favorite hymn stayed with her long after his death.
On October 21, 2026, Nashville chose the song millions associated with Dolly Parton. Carrie Underwood began it alone, and a gathering of country music’s familiar voices finished it together.
More than twelve years earlier, Dolly Parton had predicted that very choice.
Yet behind the famous farewell was another one Dolly Parton had carried in her heart for years — a gospel song that reminded her of her daddy.