Dolly Parton, 80, accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from beyond the grave in a newly released video message recorded before her death last month.
The country music legend posthumously received the honor at the Americana Honors & Awards 2026 on Wednesday, with organizers playing the pre-recorded acceptance she had filmed prior to passing away on Aug. 25. The “Jolene” singer appeared in the footage thanking the Americana Music Association for the recognition and reflecting on her deep connections to the genre.
“Roots music, or what is now called Americana music, is what I grew up playing back in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton said in the video.
“It’s that same music that drew me back to East Tennessee back in 1997 to write and record my album ‘Hungry Again.’ And that project really opened the door to a series of bluegrass and acoustic albums that changed the course of my career in so many ways,” she recalled.
Parton described how new fans had since discovered those records and “embraced them,” leaving her feeling that the period marked a “musical renaissance” for her. She expressed gratitude for the renewed attention on that body of work.
“I want to thank everyone at the AMA for recognizing me with this award,” she continued.
“It’s a great honor, truly, and just know that I will always love you,” the “I Will Always Love You” songwriter concluded.
Before the video aired, Emmylou Harris, 79, took the stage to deliver opening remarks about her late friend’s enduring impact. The “If This Is Goodbye” singer spoke of Parton’s multifaceted talents across music, television and film.
“She was one of our all-time greatest songwriters, but she shined just as brightly on stage,” Harris shared. “She lit up the TV screen and then she, she lit up the movie screen.”
Harris also celebrated Parton’s distinctive vocal instrument and her gift for balancing emotional depth with humor. “She was one of our all-time greatest songwriters, but she shined just as brightly on stage,” Harris said. “She lit up the TV screen and then she, she lit up the movie screen.”
“Her stunningly beautiful, pure mountain voice could make us cry and then crack us up with a well-aimed, sometimes body joke,” Harris added. “There was nothing Dolly couldn’t do, and so she did it.”
The tribute continued after Parton’s video with a performance of her classic “Coat of Many Colors” by Brandi Carlile and I’m with Her. The collaborative rendition closed out the segment honoring the late star.
Parton died on Aug. 25 following a secret battle with cancer, news that stunned fans who had been unaware of her illness. She was laid to rest in a private funeral service in Nashville, Tennessee, three days later.
The Lifetime Achievement Award marked one of the first major posthumous honors for the entertainer, whose decades-spanning career included hits across country, pop and bluegrass. Her 1997 return to roots music with “Hungry Again” had set in motion the acoustic-focused period she referenced in her acceptance speech, yielding multiple Grammy-winning releases that redefined her artistic legacy in her later years.
The Americana Honors & Awards ceremony stands as the latest industry gathering to reckon with Parton’s absence since her sudden death this summer.