Dolly Parton honored posthumously, shares prerecorded video message

49 1 minute read

Singer Dolly Parton performs, January 24, 2014 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

The late Dolly Parton is sharing a new video message, which was recorded before she died in August.

The Americana Music Association released Parton’s video Wednesday, which was submitted as part of her acceptance of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards.

“Roots music, or what is now called Americana music, is what I grew up playing back in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton said in part in the video. “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.”

“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,” Parton continued.

The Americana Music Association announced in August that Parton — whose songs include “I Will Always Love You,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “Jolene” — was being recognized for her “enduring contributions as one of history’s greatest songwriters and recording artists.”

Parton was in good company: Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison and Willie Nelson are among the artists who have been honored with the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Parton, a Tennessee native, died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following a private battle with cancer, according to her family.

Throughout her six-decade career, Parton built a legacy that expanded beyond music into entrepreneurship and philanthropy.