Dolly Parton’s last recorded performance appears on U2’s new song ‘Torn’
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 02: Dolly Parton poses with award backstage during the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 2, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Wi (Getty Images)
Dolly Parton’s final recorded vocals have been released on “Torn”, a posthumous duet with Bono that appears on U2’s new album Carnaval De Luz.
A press release describes the track as Parton’s last recorded vocal performance, after she recorded it in Nashville in June 2026. Parton died aged 80 on 25 August 2026, with her representatives confirming she died after a “brief battle with cancer”.
“Torn” features on Carnaval De Luz, U2’s 16th studio album, released on 13 November. A country version titled “Torn” (Kent Wells Version) also received an all-day radio premiere on 12 November across major radio broadcast media companies and platforms including iHeart, SiriusXM and Music Choice.
What did Dolly Parton say to Bono about ‘Torn’?
Ahead of the track’s release, Parton’s team shared a message to Bono in an Instagram post dated 2 June.
“Hey Bono, Hope you like what I did. I did quite a few things. Take from it what you want and what you need, but I love the song, and I think it could be something really special,” Parton wrote.
“Thanks for including me in your life. I’ve always loved you and always will,” she added.
Why Bono says he ‘can’t even listen’ to the track now
Bono, 66, later spoke about the emotional weight of the recording after Parton’s death, telling Rolling Stone: “When she got ill, she got out of her bed to sing this song. And you can hear that. And I can’t even listen to it now,” he said.
The song has also been framed as a metaphor for political division, with Parton delivering the line “Nothing hurts a mother more than a family at war,” as heard on “Torn” on Carnaval de Luz.
