Miley Cyrus has shared a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, her godmother and country music icon, following Parton’s death on August 25 at the age of 80. ‘The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,’ Cyrus wrote in a message posted across her social media accounts.

A Personal Loss

Cyrus described their relationship as deeply personal, noting that their most sacred moments were private and would remain behind the stage, beneath the glamour, and between their hearts. ‘What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong,’ she said. ‘I have an angel by my side. I always have.’

She also reflected on one of their last conversations, which revolved around music and ‘metamorphosis.’ ‘I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things,’ she added.

A Lifelong Connection

Cyrus and Parton’s bond began decades before Cyrus was born. Dolly Parton became close with Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, around the time of his 1992 hit ‘Achy Breaky Heart.’ He and his then-wife, Tish Cyrus, were expecting Miley that same year and asked Parton to serve as her godmother.

In a 2023 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Parton recalled Billy Ray asking her to be Miley’s godmother. ‘He said, “We’re having a girl, and you’ve got to be her godmother.” I said, “Well I’d be honored,”’ she said.

Parton remained a fixture in Cyrus’s life as she grew up, even playing a fictionalized version of herself as ‘Aunt Dolly’ on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Across the show’s four seasons, Parton made multiple appearances, including a recurring feud with Mamaw Ruthie (played by Vicki Lawrence), a storyline in which Parton’s character was said to have once stolen Ruthie’s boyfriend, Elvis Presley.

Shared Musical Legacy

As Miley Cyrus built her own music career, the relationship between the two evolved into a musical one. ‘Jolene,’ a Parton classic, became a staple of Cyrus’s live performances. The two also performed the song together on The Voice in 2016 and at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

Their collaborations extended to recordings, including a version of ‘Rainbowland’ on Cyrus’s 2017 album Younger Now. More recently, Cyrus reworked her own song ‘Wrecking Ball’ for Parton’s final studio album, Rockstar, released in 2023.

Cyrus’s tribute to Parton highlights the deep personal and professional bond between the two women, a relationship that spanned decades and touched both their private and public lives.