Dolly Parton had one final message for the music world — and it was delivered after her death.

The country music legend appeared on screen Wednesday night during the 2026 Americana Honors & Awards, where she was posthumously honored with the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award.

Parton died Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following what was described as a “brief battle with cancer.”

But before her death, Parton had recorded a video accepting the prestigious honor. When it played before the audience Wednesday night, fans were given one more chance to hear from the woman whose unmistakable voice, personality and songwriting helped define generations of American music.

And in classic Dolly fashion, she opened simply.

“Well, hey, it’s Dolly. I’m honored to be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association.”

Parton then looked back at where it all began — in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, surrounded by the roots music that would eventually help propel her from humble beginnings to worldwide fame.

“I mean, roots music, or what is now called Americana music, is what I grew up playing back in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton continued. “It’s that same music that drew me back to East Tennessee in 1997 to write and record my album, Hungry Again. And that project really opened the door to a series of bluegrass and acoustic albums that changed the course of my career in so many ways.”

Those projects brought Parton back to the acoustic sounds of her childhood while introducing her music to another generation of listeners.

Looking back, Parton recognized just how important that chapter had become.

“Now, new fans discovered these albums, new Americana music communities embraced them, and now looking back at it all, I see this era of my career as a musical renaissance of sorts,” Parton said. “I want to thank everyone at the AMA for recognizing me with this award. It’s a great honor truly, and just know that I will always love you.”

Those final words carried unmistakable weight.

“I will always love you” wasn’t merely a farewell. It was also a poignant reference to one of the most famous songs Parton ever wrote — turning the closing moments of her prerecorded acceptance into an especially emotional goodbye.

The tribute didn’t end there.

Dolly Parton posthumously accepts award in pre-recorded Lifetime Achievement speech 🤍 pic.twitter.com/dRzCHuzc0Q

— TMZ (@TMZ) September 17, 2026

Longtime friend and fellow country music icon Emmylou Harris took the stage to remember Parton’s extraordinary journey from a young Tennessee singer with enormous ambitions to one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world.

Harris recalled the pivotal moment in 1967 when Parton joined Porter Wagoner’s television program, an opportunity that helped introduce her to a national audience.

But Harris made clear that Parton was never destined to remain in someone else’s shadow.

“In 1967, Dolly got a good start on her big dream when she landed a gig as the girl singer with Porter Wagoner. Their duets were a hit on the show and on the charts, but Dolly was nobody’s sidekick. She wanted more and she deserved more, and she set out to get it always, always on her own terms,” Harris, 79, said. “And we all know what happened when Dolly set her sights on something.”

What happened was a career that exploded far beyond the boundaries of country music.

Parton became a crossover pop success, a movie star and an internationally recognized entertainer while maintaining the East Tennessee identity that remained central to her public image and music.

Her songwriting alone established an enormous legacy. But Harris reminded the audience that Parton’s talents went far beyond the songs she wrote.

“She was one of our all-time greatest songwriters, but she shined just as brightly on stage,” Harris shared. “She lit up the TV screen and then she, she lit up the movie screen.”

Then there was the personality.

Parton’s ability to move an audience with a song and, moments later, make that same audience laugh became one of the trademarks of her decades in the spotlight.

“Her stunningly beautiful, pure mountain voice could make us cry and then crack us up with a well-aimed, sometimes body joke,” Harris said. “There was nothing Dolly couldn’t do, and so she did it.”

The evening’s tribute ultimately returned to the music.

Brandi Carlile and I’m with Her performed Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors,” one of the songs most closely associated with her upbringing and remarkable journey from the Smoky Mountains to international superstardom.

Parton was honored alongside other recipients at Wednesday’s ceremony, including Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant.

But it was Parton’s own prerecorded words that provided one of the night’s most poignant moments.

A final appearance. A final thank-you.

And an ending that could hardly have been more fitting:

“Just know that I will always love you.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence is making his plans for 2028 clear — and another run for the White House apparently isn’t part of them.

After years of political upheaval, a failed 2024 presidential campaign and a dramatic break with President Donald Trump, Pence said this week that he currently has no plans to seek the presidency — or any other elected office — in 2028.

The former vice president addressed his political future during an appearance at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., where chairman David Rubenstein pressed him about whether voters could see his name on another presidential ballot.

“What I can tell you is that we have no plans,” Pence replied.

Rather than gearing up for another campaign, Pence said his attention is centered on his family and Advancing American Freedom, the conservative policy organization he founded after leaving the White House.

Pence said he intends to use his public platform to continue advocating for the conservative principles that have defined much of his career, including lower taxes, limited government, reduced regulation, traditional values and opposition to abortion.

“The calling of my life right now is to be a champion for these principles,” Pence said.

The comments put considerable distance between Pence and the emerging 2028 presidential contest, even as Republicans begin looking ahead to the next battle for the White House.

Pence has been down that road before.

In 2023, he launched a Republican presidential campaign that put him directly against Trump, his former running mate and the president he served alongside for four years. But Pence struggled to gain traction and suspended his campaign in October 2023, months before Republican voters began casting primary ballots.

He later declined to endorse Trump in the 2024 election.

Trump ultimately secured the Republican nomination and returned to the White House.

But the political split between the two men goes back much further.

Pence served as Trump’s vice president from 2017 until 2021 after previously serving as Indiana governor and a member of Congress. Their once-close political alliance fractured following the 2020 presidential election and the events surrounding Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump urged Pence, who was presiding over the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote, to reject or delay certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Pence refused, concluding that the Constitution gave him no authority to do so.

Years later, he remains unapologetic about that decision.

“It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made,” Pence said. “By God’s grace I did my duty that day.”

Since leaving office, Pence has remained active in Republican politics, but increasingly as a voice arguing for a more traditional strain of conservatism as parts of the GOP have embraced populist policies.

Through Advancing American Freedom and his public appearances, Pence has continued promoting free markets, limited government, a strong American role overseas and socially conservative policies.

Earlier this year, he argued that Republicans should determine what principles they want their party to stand for before becoming consumed with the question of who should carry the GOP banner in 2028.

Now Pence appears to be taking himself out of that conversation — at least for the time being.

Notably, he stopped short of declaring that he would never seek public office again. His wording was narrower: He has “no plans” to run in 2028.

For the foreseeable future, however, Pence says his focus is on advancing his political philosophy rather than launching another campaign.

And his willingness to publicly challenge Trump hasn’t disappeared.

Earlier this year, Pence broke with the president over the possibility that people involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot could receive taxpayer-funded compensation.

Speaking with Axios while discussing his book *What Conservatives Believe*, Pence described Jan. 6 as a “tragic day” and drew a firm line when it came to people who committed violence against law enforcement.

“I didn’t agree with the President when he pardoned people who engaged in violence against law enforcement officials,” Pence said.

Then he went further.

“And it would be my hope that anyone who engaged in violence against law enforcement or at the Capitol building would never be rewarded with taxpayers’ money.”

The comments underscored a political divide that has persisted years after Pence left the vice presidency.

For now, Pence appears prepared to remain part of the conservative debate — just not as a candidate in 2028.

Six months after a breast cancer diagnosis became public, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles delivered the update she had been hoping for.

The results are clear.

Wiles announced Wednesday that she is cancer-free following a recent medical visit to the Mayo Clinic, marking a significant turn after months of treatment that unfolded while she continued serving in one of the most demanding positions in Washington.

“Some personal news I’m grateful to share,” Wiles wrote. “After a medical appointment at the Mayo Clinic this week, my pathology results came back clear.

“I am cancer free.”

The announcement came almost exactly six months after President Donald Trump publicly disclosed that his chief of staff had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

At the time, Trump said the disease had been detected early and that Wiles had an excellent prognosis.

Wiles subsequently confirmed the diagnosis herself and indicated that she intended to continue performing her White House duties while receiving treatment.

She did just that.

Throughout the following months, Wiles remained in her position overseeing White House staff and helping manage the administration while simultaneously undergoing treatment.

Wednesday’s announcement brought encouraging news from the Mayo Clinic: pathology results from a recent procedure showed no evidence of cancer in the tissue examined.

Wiles used the occasion to recognize those who had supported her throughout the ordeal, thanking her family, friends, doctors and people who had reached out or prayed for her.

She also singled out Trump.

“A special thank you to President Trump for his unwavering support,” she added. “I am deeply grateful and will continue to work to advance his America First Agenda.”

Wiles has occupied a historic position in the administration since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

She became the first woman in American history to serve as White House chief of staff, after playing a central role in Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign.

Her breast cancer diagnosis became public on March 16.

Trump described Wiles as a fighter when discussing her condition and said the cancer had been caught at an early stage. He also indicated that she planned to remain heavily involved in White House operations rather than stepping away during treatment.

That ultimately proved to be the case.

Wiles continued working as Trump’s top White House staffer during the months that followed, remaining a regular presence alongside the president as she underwent treatment.

Now, six months after the diagnosis became public, Wiles says the latest medical findings brought the outcome she and those around her had been waiting for.

Her pathology results came back clear.

And her message Wednesday left no ambiguity about what that meant.

“I am cancer free.”