Vince Gill is honoring his longtime friend and musical collaborator, Dolly Parton, with a deeply emotional performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a concert at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, Aug. 27, the 69-year-old country star reflected on Parton\u2019s death at age 80, just two days earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gill told the audience that he and his family were \u201ccrushed\u201d when they learned of Parton\u2019s passing. He then announced that he would perform \u201cI Will Always Love You,\u201d the iconic song that Gill and Parton recorded as a duet, which later charted in 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Gill sang the song famously associated with Whitney Houston, he became visibly emotional at several moments. Fan-recorded videos from the concert show the audience cheering and applauding as he brought the performance to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Representatives for Parton previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the \u201cJolene\u201d singer died on Aug. 25 following a \u201cbrief battle with cancer.\u201d The specific type of cancer was not revealed. Parton\u2019s nephew, Bryan Seaver, was the first to announce her death in a video posted to her Instagram account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gill, who is married to singer-songwriter Amy Grant, had already shared an emotional tribute to Parton on Instagram. He posted footage of the pair performing \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d at the 1995 CMA Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are all crushed here at our house,\u201d Gill wrote in the caption. He recalled that one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard was the moment he and Parton sang the final note of \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d together during their CMA Awards performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gill is among several major artists who have paid tribute to Parton onstage following her death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Friday, Aug. 28, Kacey Musgraves honored the legendary singer-songwriter during her performance at Boston\u2019s TD Garden. Musgraves, 38, sang Parton\u2019s classic \u201cHere You Come Again\u201d after performing her own song \u201cRainbow,\u201d which she dedicated to the 9 to 5<\/em> star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Mayer also paid tribute to Parton during a private SiriusXM performance on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Stephen Talkhouse in the Hamptons. Although members of the packed audience repeatedly called out for \u201cJolene,\u201d Mayer chose to perform \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d instead, delivering a solo guitar rendition before moving into \u201cGravity\u201d for the encore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brad Paisley also remembered Parton during his Bridgeport, Connecticut, concert on Thursday, Aug. 27. After performing \u201cWhen I Get Where I\u2019m Going,\u201d his 2005 duet with Parton, Paisley spoke about how their collaboration came together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I recorded that song and sent it to Dolly, I said, \u2018A couple of people in my life I\u2019ve lost, and I didn\u2019t know if this would relate to you,\u2019\u201d Paisley told the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He recalled that Parton immediately responded, saying, \u201cYes, let me sing on that,\u201d and went on to record her part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paisley became visibly emotional while remembering his late collaborator, prompting loud cheers from the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI never thought it would be about her, but it is,\u201d Paisley said of their duet. \u201cIt\u2019s everything she believed, and we will always love you, Dolly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n