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Dolly Parton has added another honor to her long list of accolades, receiving the Poet's Award at the 19th ACM Honors in Nashville on August 19. The 80-year-old country legend accepted the award virtually, sharing a heartfelt message about the role songwriting has played in her life.
"I just want to send a very special thank you to the Academy of Country Music for honoring me with the Poet's Award," Parton said in a video message posted to Instagram. "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."
She continued, "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."
The ACM Honors, hosted by Carly Pearce and Parker McCollum, also recognized Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, The Carter Family, and others. Parton was celebrated with performances of her classics "Islands in the Stream" and "9 to 5."
Her virtual appearance came just days after she missed the grand opening of Dollywood's new NightFlight Expedition ride due to health concerns. "Now I've told you before, all my fans, that I've had a few little health issues and sometimes I get a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated. And I'm dehydrated," she explained in a video shown at the event. "So my Nashville doctor clipped my wings, saying you ain't traveling this week."
Parton reassured fans that "all is going well on the medical end of things," though she has previously spoken about recurring kidney stone issues and the toll of treatments. In May, she canceled her postponed Las Vegas residency, telling fans it would take time before she was "up to stage performance level" again.
