CBS and ABC are quickly assembling primetime tributes to Dolly Parton, who died earlier Tuesday at 80.
CBS News will air “Dolly Parton – An American Icon” from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT, led by “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil and senior culture correspondent Anthony Mason. The network will also have a correspondent reporting from Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
The hourlong special will combine new reporting and commentary from country music stars with interviews from the CBS News archives, including Parton’s 2009 conversation with Morley Safer on “60 Minutes,” her 2023 “Person to Person” interview with Norah O’Donnell and previous interviews with Dokoupil and Mason.
The program will also stream live for Paramount+ Premium subscribers through their local CBS affiliate.
ABC, meanwhile, will air the “20/20” special “Dolly Parton: An American Original” at 10 p.m. ET. The network described the program as a tribute to the music superstar and cultural legend. It will stream later on Disney+ and Hulu.
NBC News plans to have extensive coverage across “NBC Nightly News,” “Today,” NBCNews.com and NBC News Now. The network had not announced a standalone primetime special as of Tuesday evening.
Parton died Tuesday at the age of 80. The singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist became one of country music’s most recognizable figures during a career spanning more than six decades.
She was known for hits including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” while extending her career into film, television, business and philanthropy. She also founded the Dollywood theme park and the Imagination Library, which has distributed millions of free books to children.
