The country singer said the song has taken on new meaning since Parton’s death on Aug. 25.

Brad Paisley gets emotional as he sings Dolly Parton duet solo after her death: ‘Never thought it would be about her’

The country singer said the song has taken on new meaning since Parton’s death on Aug. 25.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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August 30, 2026 12:17 p.m. ET

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Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton attend the 11th Annual ACM Honors at the Ryman Auditorium on Aug. 23, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. Credit:

Rick Diamond/Getty

- Brad Paisley got emotional while paying tribute to late country icon and his former collaborator Dolly Parton.

- Two days after Parton’s death, Paisley paid tribute to her by performing a solo rendition of their 2005 duet, “When I Get Where I’m Going.”

- He then choked up while admitting that the song has taken on new meaning since her death.

As the love for Dolly Parton continues pouring in, Brad Paisley paid tribute to the Queen of Country with a bittersweet musical moment.

Days after Parton died at the age of 80 after a “brief battle with cancer,” Paisley surprised the crowd at his Bridgeport, Conn. concert with a raw solo performance of “When I Get Where I’m Going,” his 2005 duet featuring Parton. Afterwards, the singer became emotional as he recounted how their collaboration came to be.

“When I recorded that song and sent it to Dolly, I said, ‘A couple of people in my life I’ve lost, and I didn’t know if this would relate to you,’” Paisley told the crowd at Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater on Aug. 27. “She immediately said, ‘Yes, let me sing on that,’ and did.”

Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley performing a duet at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 2001.

Dave Hogan/Getty

The song, which explored the idea of life after death, sees Paisley croon the lyrics, “When I get where I’m going, There’ll be only happy tears / I will shed the sins and struggles, I have carried all these years / And I’ll leave my heart wide open, I will love and have no fear / Yeah when I get where I’m going, Don’t cry for me down here.”

Paisley, whose voice was thick with emotion as he teared up on stage, went on to say that since Parton’s death, the song has begun to resonate in a new way.

“I never thought it would be about her, but it is,” he admitted. “It’s everything she believed, and we will always love you, Dolly.”

On Facebook, the venue shared a clip of Paisley performing the song as a montage of photos — featuring Dolly and a few shots of them together — played on the screen behind him. Among them was a photo of the late country icon smiling, as the text “We Love You Dolly,” appeared beneath her.

Parton died on Aug. 25, at the age of 80, following a “brief battle with cancer,” her representatives confirmed on Tuesday. In the days since, several stars have paid tribute to her life and legacy, revealing the various ways she influenced their own work or directly offered support. Among those who have honored Parton is Paisley’s wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, who shared on Instagram that she first met the singer when she recorded her 2005 duet with Paisley.

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“She was immediately approachable, funny, kind, and generous,” the 54-year-old actress wrote on Instagram. “And her voice! Well, it pierced my soul in the best way, and added so much to an already beautiful song.”

Dolly Parton at ‘Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala’ on Jan. 30.

Jon Morgan/CBS via Getty

Williams-Paisley said that years later, they crossed paths again when she filmed an episode of the Netflix series *Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings*.

“On the day we filmed, there were crazy winds and sideways rain. We were trying to keep a strict schedule and so we soldiered on in the storm. My hair, my wardrobe, my script pages were flying every which way as we got ready to shoot,” she recalled. “When Dolly arrived, it was like the storm stopped, but only around her/ She glided across the stage, looking gorgeous and prepared as always, with not ONE HAIR out of place. It must have been the Dolly effect.”

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Like her husband, she concluded the tribute with a reference to one of Parton’s biggest hits: “Dolly will always live on in her music and in our hearts,” she wrote. “And we will always love her.”

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