Dolly Parton Posthumously Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
A pre-recorded video message from the late country music icon was shared at the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony.
Dolly Parton was posthumously honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Honors & Awards 2026. The award ceremony featured a video message recorded by Parton before her passing.
"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. She expressed that she was "so honored" to receive the award. Parton reflected on how this genre influenced her career, noting that it led her to write and record her album "Hungry Again" in East Tennessee in 1997, which subsequently opened the door to a series of bluegrass and acoustic albums that significantly altered her career trajectory.
Parton described the current period as a "musical renaissance" as new fans discover and embrace her older albums. "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."
Prior to the video presentation, singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris, a longtime friend of Parton, delivered remarks about the artist's legacy. "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."
Harris added that Parton's "stunningly beautiful, pure mountain voice could make us cry and then crack us up with a well-aimed, sometimes body joke." She concluded by saying, "There was nothing Dolly couldn’t do, and so she did it."
The tribute concluded with a performance of Parton's song "Coat of Many Colors" by Brandi Carlile and I'm With Her.
Dolly Parton died on August 25 after a private battle with cancer. She was 80 years old. A private funeral service was held in Nashville, Tennessee, three days after her death.