Dolly appears weeks after death

Three weeks after passing away on August 25 at age 80 from cancer, Dolly Parton made a surprise posthumous appearance at the September 16, 2026 Americana Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Emmylou Harris introduces the tribute

Emmylou Harris introduced the segment, calling Parton a tiny, extraordinary woman who made the world better, brighter and kinder. Harris shared Parton's famous motto: dream more, learn more, care more, be more.

“dream more, learn more, care more, be more”

Dolly's final recorded message

Dressed in a golden fringed top, Parton sat beside fresh flowers and spoke about receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. She discussed how roots music drew her back to East Tennessee in 1997 to record Hungry Again, which launched her bluegrass and acoustic era.

“It's that same music that drew me back to East Tennessee in 1997”

A career renaissance through roots music

Parton explained how her bluegrass and acoustic albums helped new fans discover her music and connected her with communities in the Americana genre. She called this period a musical renaissance that changed the course of her career.

“this era of my career as a musical renaissance of sorts”

Parton's closing words of love

Parton thanked the Americana Music Association and closed with her signature phrase: just know that I will always love you. The video drew a standing ovation with many attendees wiping away tears.

“just know that I will always love you”

Brandi Carlile honors Dolly

Brandi Carlile took the stage after the video and said we will always love you too Dolly, then performed a moving version of Parton's Coat of Many Colors backed by the Americana trio I'm With Her.

“we will always love you too Dolly”