Dolly Parton's Final Message Played at the Americana Awards and the Whole Room Cried

Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 at 80, and three weeks later, Nashville still isn’t done saying goodbye. At the 2026 Americana Awards on Sept. 16, a pre-taped video of Dolly accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award played inside the Ryman Auditorium, and the room went completely silent. She opened with just two words,“It’s Dolly,”and closed with“Just know that I will always love you.”Good luck keeping it together after that.

Emmylou Harris introduced the segment, calling Dolly a“tiny, extraordinary woman”and reciting the mottos she lived by: dream more, learn more, care more, be more. In the video, Dolly reflected on her Smoky Mountains roots and credited her 1997 album Hungry Again with launching her bluegrass and acoustic renaissance. Brandi Carlile and I’m With Her followed with a performance of“Coat of Many Colors,”which could not have been a more fitting sendoff.

The night had one more history-making moment: the Heartbreakers opened the show with their first performance since Tom Petty’s death in 2017, joined by Chris Stapleton on vocals. Two icons, one unforgettable night at the Mother Church of Country Music. So we want to know: what is the first Dolly Parton song you ever loved? Tell us in the comments and we might play it this week.