Dolly Parton’s heart is heavier than ever—her beloved husband, Carl Dean, passed away Monday, more than 60 years after fate first brought them together. A lifetime of love, laughter, and precious memories now lives on in her heart. But in a moment no one saw coming, Dolly did what she does best—she sang. At the ACM Awards, with raw emotion in her voice, she delivered an impromptu, a cappella rendition of Precious Memories, a tribute to the love she lost and to everyone who has ever had to say goodbye. The room fell silent, the weight of every lyric hanging in the air. By the end, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight.
The 2023 ACM Awards show was packed full of surprise winners and incredible performances. But, a highlight of the night came from co-host Dolly Parton who went off script to remember two women she said are like sisters.
In between performances, hosts Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton took a moment to remember country singers who passed away in the last year. Dolly specifically mentioned Loretta Lynn and Naomi Judd. Naomi Judd died by suicide in April 2022 at 76, while Loretta Lynn died at age 90 in October.
“As you know, Loretta was a coal miner’s daughter. A hero. And one of the most important, but one of the most down to earth singer-songwriters in history,” Dolly shared. “And of course Naomi and I – we’re the same age….we loved big hair, I still do. And we loved that makeup. But, above all else, we loved each other.”
Garth added, “Tonight we lovingly remember all those we lost in our country music family. And we promise to do our best to keep the circle forever unbroken in their memory.”
“And we give thanks for their precious memories,” Dolly said before singing the old spiritual “Precious Memories.” The crowd went silent as Dolly sang the familiar lyrics a cappella.
Dolly released an album of the same in 1999 that included some of her favorite hymns, and she has sung “Precious Memories” many times before. But, her impromptu rendition at the ACM Awards was incredibly powerful and will no doubt be remembered as one of the most special moments in awards show history.
Hear Dolly sing “Precious Memories” during her Christmas special in the video below.
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