Dolly Parton posthumously accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Honors & Awards 2026 in a video she recorded before her death.
The “Jolene” singer, who passed away on Aug. 25, said in the video that she was “so honored” to receive the coveted award on Wednesday.
“Roots music, or what is now called Americana music, is what I grew up playing back in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton added.
“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 said now that “new fans” have discovered her albums and have “embraced them,” she feels as though that era of her career is a “musical renaissance.”
“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 country star concluded.
Prior to the video being played, Parton’s friend Emmylou Harris delivered opening remarks about the songwriter’s legacy.
“She was one of our all-time greatest songwriters, but she shined just as brightly on stage,” Harris, 79, shared. “She lit up the TV screen and then she, she lit up the movie screen.”
The “If This Is Goodbye” songstress said Parton’s “stunningly beautiful, pure mountain voice could make us cry and then crack us up with a well-aimed, sometimes body joke.”
“There was nothing Dolly couldn’t do, and so she did it,” she added.
After the video, the tribute concluded with a performance of Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors,” performed by Brandi Carlile and I’m with Her.
Parton died on Aug. 25 after a secret battle with cancer. She was 80.
The “I Will Always Love You” singer was laid to rest in a private funeral service in Nashville, Tennessee, three days later.
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