Dolly Parton delivered a heartfelt virtual speech as she accepted an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work on Sunday, weeks after “health challenges” forced her to cancel a Las Vegas residency. In a video filmed at her home in Nashville, the 79-year-old beamed as she thanked the Academy for giving her the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Award for her decades of philanthropic work, calling it “the blessing of a lifetime.” “It’s an honor just to be considered … I don’t take this kind of thing lightly,” said Parton, clutching the Oscar statuette. “It makes me want to dream up new ways to help lift people up. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be here for? So from my heart to yours, I truly thank you.” Parton’s health has been a cause for concern amongst fans after she postponed her upcoming Vegas residency due to health concerns and mourned the death of her husband Carl Dean back in March after 58 years of marriage. It had previously been reported that Parton would miss the Academy’s Governor’s Awards for health reasons but her publicist blamed a “scheduling conflict” and told USA Today the virtual appearance had been planned well in advance. Parton has twice been Oscar-nominated for Best Original Song, but this was her first statuette. Other recipients of the honorary Oscars were actor Tom Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas.
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