Dolly Parton surprised the audience at the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards on Wednesday night (Sept. 16). The late country legend appeared via video to accept a huge honor.
The awards show took place 22 days after Parton’s death on Aug. 25. It’s not clear when the video was recorded but fans filled comment boxes with heart emojis and remarks about how perfectly healthy she seemed.
- Parton was given the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards.
- The award was announced Aug. 6 with a press release noting that she’d be accepting via video.
- Robert Plant was also presented with the same award.
Emmylou Harris began the presentation of the award with meaningful remarks about her good friend and Trio album collaborator. The five-minute-long buildup focused on Parton’s values, morals, drive and generosity.
“This lifetime achievement award honors Dolly Parton’s life and work, her style, her substance, her heart — her great heart,” Harris says in closing. Fans were wowed when she revealed a video featuring Parton was coming. With tears and a voice that cracked, she closed with, “Farewell Dolly. Godspeed and thank you for everything.”
Watch the full presentation at about 1:22:30 in the full video livestream of the awards. A social media video focused on Parton’s speech follows.
In the video, Parton recalls growing up playing roots music. She recalls recording her 1997 album Hungry Again to get back in touch with the music, noting how this led to a series of bluegrass albums that changed the course of her career.
“Now, looking back at it all, I see this era of my career as a musical renaissance of sorts,” she says before offering thanks to the AMA for the honor. As she’s did so often before dying, she ended with “Just know that I will always love you,” a hat-tip to her most famous song.
Dolly Parton Tribute Concert Details
Parton’s team revealed that she had plans for them to execute long after her death, including a two-day celebration called Dollyfest in 2027.
Additionally, the CMA is producing a Dolly Parton tribute concert for television next month.
CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will air live on ABC from Nashville’s Belmont University on Oct. 21 at 9PM ET.
Dolly Parton: 80 Years and 80 Unforgettable Moments
The country queen turned 80 years old on Jan. 19, 2026. Consider this our birthday card, or a long letter that states all the ways she’s appreciated.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
See Pictures of Dolly Parton, Through the Years
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
