John Mayer delivered a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton during a private SiriusXM show in the Hamptons this week
The musician told the VIP crowd – which included music royalty Sir Paul McCartney and Back to the Future legend Michael J. Fox – that he felt the world had briefly united in a way he hadn’t experienced “for a long time” following her death aged 80 on Tuesday (25.08.26).
He shared with host Andy Cohen: “Dolly would be really happy to see that … the world came together in a way that it hadn’t in a very long time to celebrate someone. While the world is paying tribute to one person and one soul, which feels good on its own, we’re all connected while that’s happening. I haven’t felt connected like that for a long time.”
John went on to praise the country icon’s impact across generations, calling her a rare figure capable of bringing people together.
He continued: “Here’s a human being who carried herself through every decade of her life perfectly. I don’t know that there are many people in this world left that can galvanise a very fractured world to come together and share love for one person. This is one human being who’s left this incredible testament to love throughout their whole life and you can feel it. This is what a life well‑lived looks like, feels like, sounds like.”
John also paid a musical tribute to Dolly during his set at Stephen Talkhouse on Wednesday (26.08.26).
Despite calls from the crowd to perform Jolene, he opted for I Will Always Love You.
He and Dolly first met in Nashville in 2010 at the All for the Hall benefit concert, introduced by their mutual friend Keith Urban.
The 48‑year‑old rocker also teased that new music is coming, revealing he has been writing while staying at Cohen’s Hamptons home.
He said: “We’ll sing new songs again very soon.”
Meanwhile, John is featured on the title track from Alex Warren’s new album Wildchild, out today (28.08.26).
His soaring guitar solo is especially poignant, as the track includes a voice memo from Alex’s late father – and John was his favourite musician.
He asks on the recording: “Are you having fun, Alex?”