Harry Styles remembers Dolly Parton during Madison Square Garden show
Harry Styles paid a musical tribute to Dolly Parton at his concert at New York's Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (26.08.26) night.
Harry Styles paid a musical tribute to Dolly Parton at his New York concert on Wednesday (26.08.26) night.
The As It Was hitmaker took time to remember the late country legend - who died on Tuesday (25.08.26) at the age of 80 - and the way she had inspired him over the years during his Together, Together tour stop at Madison Square Garden.
As fans cheered, he said: “I wanna say a proper ‘Thank you’ to all the musicians over the years that’ve inspired me. Dolly, we love you, thank you so much."
Dolly's 1974 hit song, I Will Always Love You, began to play, but rather than sing along to the ballad himself, Harry asked the audience - which included his rumoured fiancee Zoe Kravitz - to dance and hold up the lights from their phone torches.
On the same evening, John Mayer also used I Will Always Love You to pay tribute to Dolly.
He closed his show for SiriusXM at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett by playing the song on guitar before transitioning into his own classic hit Gravity.
Dolly's death was announced in a video message from her nephew, Bryan Seaver, and her representatives later confirmed she had been battling cancer.
Her representatives said in a statement: “Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.
"After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones."
Just days before her death, Dolly - whose husband Carl Dean passed away in March 2025 - acknowledged her recent health struggles.
She told People magazine on Friday (21.08.26): “As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl.
"You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health."
