Dolly Parton thanks music teachers in posthumous video message
Dolly Parton thanked music teachers in a video message recorded before her death, shared by the Country Music Association on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at age 80 following a short battle with cancer, Billboard reported. The clip was filmed beforehand as a tribute for the CMA Foundation's Music Teachers of Excellence programme.
"To every music teacher of excellence, I want to thank you for your passion, patience and care that you give your students each day," Parton said in the message, quoted by Rolling Stone. Singer Zac Brown introduced the video at the ceremony.
The 10th annual Music Teachers of Excellence ceremony was held on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Parton's SongTeller Hotel in Nashville. The CMA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Country Music Association, runs the programme to recognise classroom music teachers.
It was Parton's second posthumous video appearance. She had earlier appeared on video at the 2026 Americana Awards and Honors at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and received the CMA Foundation Humanitarian Award in 2021, according to CMA. Her Imagination Library, a book-gifting programme for young children, has distributed more than 300 million books worldwide over 30 years.
The CMA will honour her life and work with a two-hour television event, 'A Celebration of Dolly Parton'. It airs Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9:00 to 11:00 PM EDT on ABC and Disney+, live from the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, the CMA has confirmed.
Tickets for the live taping were listed from $95, with the public sale beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 10:00 AM CT. Details were published by the CMA ahead of the sale.
For fans, this means two farewells sit side by side. One is brief and personal, a recorded thank-you to teachers. The other is public, a full evening of music planned for later this month.
