Dolly Parton’s Final Words to Bill Anderson: “I Will Always Love You” — Plus Billy Ray Cyrus and Others Remember Dolly

Bill Anderson shares the last words Dolly spoke to him as Billy Ray Cyrus, The Bellamy Brothers and KC also remember the global icon.

BourbonBlog.com joins the world in mourning Dolly Parton, who died peacefully in Nashville on August 25, 2026, at age 80.

BourbonBlog.com’s Tom Fischer has had the opportunity over the years to interview musicians and work with artists connected with Adkins Entertainment at Kentucky Derby events and beyond. Adkins Entertainment shared the following remembrances in the hours after Dolly’s passing.

Their memories span decades and genres, but each returns to the same qualities the world recognized in Dolly: extraordinary talent, disarming humor, generosity and a gift for making people feel loved.

Among them, Bill Anderson shared a detail that feels especially poignant: the final words Dolly spoke to him were a direct, personal echo of her most enduring song.

Bill Anderson Remembers Dolly’s Final Words to Him

Grand Ole Opry legend Bill Anderson recalled the last message he received from his longtime friend:

“The last thing Dolly said to me was, ‘Bill Anderson — I Will Always Love You.’ She was looking me in the eye from the giant video screen in the Grand Ole Opry House on the occasion of my 65th Opry anniversary a few weeks ago. She was smiling as only Dolly could, making my night even more special than it already was. The news of her passing has rocked my world, but as we sang together back in 2023, ‘Someday it’ll all make sense.’”

— Bill Anderson

Billy Ray Cyrus: “I Will Always Love Her”

Billy Ray Cyrus remembered growing up with Dolly on television, then discovering firsthand the wit and warmth behind the icon:

“I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it’s hard to know where to start. Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TVs, right in our living rooms.

“In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her. In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, ‘Honey, this trash sells records!’

“Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way — with my whole heart — and I always will.”

— Billy Ray Cyrus

The Bellamy Brothers: “Country Music Lost One of Its Greatest, and We Lost a Friend”

David and Howard Bellamy reflected on their friendship with Dolly and the opportunity to record their signature song, “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body,” with her in 2005:

“We’ve known Dolly a long time, and like everybody who was lucky enough to cross her path, we loved her.

“Back in 2005, we got the chance to record ‘If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body’ together. Dolly told us she’d always wanted to sing that song, and hearing her voice on it is something we’ll treasure even more today.

“She was one of a kind — talented beyond words, funny, gracious and always Dolly.

“Country music lost one of its greatest, and we lost a friend.

“We love you, Dolly. We’ll miss you.”

— David and Howard Bellamy, The Bellamy Brothers

KC: “She Was One of the Sweetest and Kindest People I Had Ever Met”

Harry Wayne “KC” Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band looked back on a friendship that began in the late 1970s:

“I am in shock. I met Dolly back in the late ’70s. We had the same manager, and I was lucky enough to meet her and know her throughout the years, and then we ended up with the same management team again years later. She was one of the sweetest and kindest people I had ever met. I have many fond memories that I will cherish and hold close to my heart. Such a talent and a tremendous loss to pop and country music and to those who knew and loved her. She will truly be missed.”

— KC of KC and the Sunshine Band

Why Dolly’s Legacy Reaches Beyond the Music

What stands out in these tributes is not only Dolly Parton’s reach, but the feeling she left behind. To millions she was a once-in-a-generation songwriter, performer, businesswoman and humanitarian. To the people who knew her, she was also funny, gracious, encouraging and unmistakably herself.

Dolly’s generosity was as consequential as her music. In April 2020, Dolly donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to advance research into COVID-19 treatments and cures. Vanderbilt later explained that research supported by her gift contributed to work connected to the Phase 1 trial of Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine. In 2022, she gave Vanderbilt another $1 million for pediatric infectious-disease research. Read Vanderbilt’s account of her support.

Different friendships. Different generations. The same conclusion: Dolly made people feel seen, and they will always love her.

How to Give in Dolly’s Memory

Dolly’s family has made one specific official request: in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Readers who want to honor her life and continue the causes closely associated with her can consider these active, official options:

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: This is the organization specifically named by Dolly’s family for memorial donations. It provides free books each month to children from birth to age five.
• Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital: Donations support pediatric services, facilities, equipment and patient care at the East Tennessee hospital that bears her name.
• Vanderbilt Health tribute giving: Vanderbilt accepts gifts made in memory of an individual. Donors can request that a gift support an area associated with Dolly’s philanthropy, such as pediatric care or infectious-disease research. This is an additional way to continue work she supported, not the family’s designated memorial charity.

Statements and images were provided to BourbonBlog.com by Adkins Entertainment and are published with light typographic editing for clarity.