A video message recorded by Dolly Parton before her death was played at the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville on Wednesday, where she was honoured with the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Music Association.
Dolly, who died at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer, was celebrated for her 'pure mountain voice' and sharp sense of humour during the posthumous tribute in the country music capital.
Video message and acceptance
In the footage, beamed onto the big screen, Dolly appeared dressed in a gold blouse with her shocking pink nails resting on her trousers. She told the crowd: “Well, hey, it’s Dolly. I’m honoured to be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association.
“I mean, roots music, or what is now called Americana music, is what I grew up playing back in the Smoky Mountains. It’s that same music that drew me back to east Tennessee 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.
“Now, new fans discovered these albums, new Americana music communities embraced them, and now looking back at it all, I see this era of my career as a musical renaissance of sorts.
“I want to thank everyone at the AMA for recognising me with this award. It’s a great honour truly and just know that I will always love you,” she finished, in homage to her much-loved single.
Tributes and performances
It was not confirmed when the footage was filmed, but it was assumed to have been during the summer, with the superstar looking relaxed and vivacious. Many of her final appearances before her death were filmed, with her last in-person appearance in June 2026 at the grand opening of her Tennessean Travel Stop in Tennessee, where she surprised fans at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in a blue-and-pink fringe outfit and stiletto heels.
Before the video message was played, her friend and fellow singer Emmylou Harris gave a moving speech about her legacy. Harris said: “In 1967, Dolly got a good start on her big dream when she landed a gig as the girl singer with Porter Wagoner. Their duets were a hit on the show and on the charts, but Dolly was nobody’s sidekick.
“She wanted more and she deserved more, and she set out to get it always, always on her own terms.”
Harris praised Parton for her songwriting abilities and her charisma on stage and screen, adding: “And we all know what happened when Dolly set her sights on something. She was one of our all-time greatest songwriters, but she shined just as brightly on stage. She lit up the TV screen and then 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. There was nothing Dolly couldn’t do, and so she did it.”
Harris also highlighted Parton’s work outside the music industry, such as her Imagination Library initiative and her Dollywood theme park. She said: “There’s another famous Dolly saying: ‘If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one’.
“Through her songs and her own example, she showed so many musicians, artists and everyday folks exactly how to do that.
“Not by giving them the map that she made, but by encouraging them to draw their own.
“So whatever road you’re on, I believe that Dolly’s walking it with every one of us tonight and always.
“She’s sprinkling those rhinestones along the path and reminding us as we walk to be on the lookout for ways to dream more, learn more, care more, and be more for ourselves and for each other.”
Following the video message, American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and the band I’m With Her performed a moving rendition of Dolly's song Coat Of Many Colours.
