Dolly Parton appeared virtually last night to accept her Academy of Country Music Award honor, one of multiple recent appearances the country legend has had to join remotely (Parton was never scheduled to attend the ACM Honors to appear in person). Parton was honored
with the Poet’s Award during the event on Aug. 19 in Nashville, which also heralded work from Eric Church, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, the Carter Family, the Taylor Sheridan series Landman, executive Leslie Fram, late songwriter Brett James, and more. Parton was also celebrated in a performance from Carter Faith, Carly Pearce, and Kaitlin Butts, who covered her classic working-woman anthem “9 to 5.”
“You know, I’ve been able to do many things throughout my life, but at my core, songwriting has always been the most important part of who I am creatively,” Parton said on a pre-recorded video. “Every dream I ever had and all the dreams that I’ve been able to see come true in life, well they all started with a song. Songwriting has been my therapy; songwriting has been my release, my joy. Songwriting has been a gift from God that has allowed me to touch people with words and music.”
Parton was also unable to attend the recent opening of NightFlight Expedition, the new roller coaster at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Though Parton had planned to attend, she ultimately delivered a greeting to riders virtually, wearing a pair of sparkly wings and telling visitors that she was sidelined due to her doctor’s orders. “Now I’ve told you before, all my fans, that I have had a few little health issues,” Parton said. “And sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And I’m dehydrated. And so my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain’t traveling this week.”
Some heath struggles with kidney stones, Parton has said, have kept her out of the limelight of late, though she did appear at the opening of her Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, back in June. She is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville in September, and will also accept that award virtually.
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