Dolly Parton Honored Posthumously With Americana Lifetime Achievement Award

Dolly Parton received the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously on September 16, when a video message she recorded before her death was played at the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

The Americana Music Association first announced the honor on August 6, before Parton’s death, saying it recognized her “enduring contributions as one of history’s greatest songwriters and recording artists.” At the time, Parton was expected to accept the award through a pre-recorded message rather than appearing in person.

In the recording, Parton said: “Well, hey, it’s Dolly. I’m honored 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.”

She went on to describe how that music drew her back to East Tennessee in 1997 to write and record her album “Hungry Again,” a project she said opened the door to a series of bluegrass and acoustic records that reshaped her career. She closed the message by thanking the association and telling the audience: “And just know that I will always love you.”

Parton died on August 25 at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, weeks before the ceremony took place. Her death transformed what had originally been planned as a straightforward virtual acceptance into a posthumous tribute.

The award was presented during AMERICANAFEST at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Emmylou Harris, Parton’s longtime friend and former bandmate in the trio group with Linda Ronstadt, introduced the video and reflected on Parton’s career, tracing her path from a 1967 gig as a “girl singer” alongside Porter Wagoner through her rise as a defining figure in American roots music.

Harris also spoke about Parton’s philanthropic work, including her support for literacy programs, disaster relief, and medical research. Following the video, Brandi Carlile and the group I’m With Her — featuring Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins — performed a tribute rendition of Parton’s autobiographical song “Coat of Many Colors.”

Dolly Parton posthumously accepts award in pre-recorded Lifetime Achievement speech 🤍 pic.twitter.com/dRzCHuzc0Q

— TMZ (@TMZ) September 17, 2026

Parton’s career spanned more than six decades and included honors such as the National Medal of Arts, a Kennedy Center Honor, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which she received in 2025. She wrote some of country music’s most enduring songs, including “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5.”

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