Country music legend Dolly Parton’s voice is being heard once again, nearly three months after her death, as her final recorded vocal performance was released Thursday in an emotional collaboration with Irish rock band U2.
The song, titled “Torn,” features Parton singing alongside U2 frontman Bono and marks the last vocal recording the beloved entertainer completed before her death on August 25 at age 80.
A special country version of the track premiered on radio stations nationwide Thursday, November 12, ahead of its official release Friday as part of U2’s upcoming album, Carnaval De Luz.
The recording carries particular significance because Parton completed her vocals in Nashville in June, just two months before losing a private battle with cancer.
The country icon was already seriously ill when she recorded the song, but remained determined to complete the collaboration. Bono later recalled that Parton pushed through her declining health to deliver what would become her final performance.
“When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that,” Bono told Rolling Stone in September.
The U2 singer admitted that listening to the finished recording has become particularly difficult following her passing.
“And I can’t even listen to it now,” he said. “She sang her heart out and I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman.”
The emotional ballad explores fractured family relationships, disagreements between loved ones, and the heartbreak that comes when people who once shared deep connections find themselves divided.
Parton co-wrote the track alongside U2 and songwriter Johnny McDaid, while producer Jacknife Lee helped bring the recording together. Musician Daniel Lanois also contributed pedal steel guitar.
The collaboration reportedly began after Bono approached Parton about working together on a project influenced by Irish folk music.
Although Parton initially felt the concept leaned too heavily into Irish musical traditions, she suggested another direction that ultimately became “Torn.”
The finished recording blends her unmistakable country vocals with Bono’s distinctive delivery, bringing together two performers whose careers helped shape different generations of popular music.
The official announcement on Parton’s website confirmed that the special country arrangement, known as the Kent Wells Version, would receive its world premiere across major country radio networks, including iHeartRadio, Audacy, Cumulus and SiriusXM.
The song also serves as the closing track on U2’s 16th studio album, giving the project an especially poignant ending.
Parton died peacefully in Nashville following a brief battle with cancer. She was laid to rest beside her husband of nearly six decades, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025.
Her passing prompted tributes from musicians, entertainers and admirers around the world who celebrated her extraordinary career and charitable contributions.
The Tennessee native became one of country music’s most recognizable figures through classics including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Although another previously recorded Parton performance, “Bound to Ride,” was released in September, “Torn” holds the distinction of being the final vocal recording she completed during her lifetime.
For longtime admirers, the newly released duet offers one more opportunity to hear the legendary singer’s voice, providing an emotional conclusion to a musical career that spanned more than six decades.
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