Miley Cyrus has paid an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton, who passed away at the age of 80 this week.
“The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts,” Cyrus wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
“What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis,” she added.
“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.”
The country music legend was Cyrus’s godmother, though their connection began before the pop star was even born. Parton became close with Billy Ray Cyrus around the time “Achy Breaky Heart” earned him his commercial breakthrough in 1992. He and then-wife Tish Cyrus were also expecting a daughter that same year, and so he asked Parton to become her godmother.
The Tennessee native remained a fixture in Cyrus’s life as she grew up, eventually playing a fictionalized version of herself on Hannah Montana. Across the Disney show’s four seasons, she would go on to make multiple appearances as Aunt Dolly.
Their bond gradually became musical as Cyrus established herself in the music industry under her own name, with “Jolene” becoming a staple of her live act over the years. The two have performed the timeless classic together on multiple occasions as well, most notably on The Voice in 2016 and at the 2019 Grammy Awards. The pair also joined forces to record “Rainbowland” for Cyrus’s sixth studio album, Younger Now.
Perhaps their most memorable celebration of each other came when they co-hosted Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party to usher in 2023. The duo shared the stage for joint renditions of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight,” Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball,” and Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Sure enough, they concluded the show with “Jolene.”
Parton’s final solo studio album in 2023 even featured a reimagined version of “Wrecking Ball” with Cyrus, which the latter expressed her excitement about in a social media post.
“I’ve grown up covering my Aunt Dolly’s music & it’s an honor to hear her singing one of my songs,” she wrote. “I love you Aunt Dolly! I’m so happy to add another collaboration under our bedazzled (studded leather) belt! We’re ROCKSTARS now! You can hear so much sweetness and love on this record. Excited to share it with everyone.”
In response, Parton wrote, “We always say such sweet things about one another, but you are especially good to me, Miley! I know sometimes it sounds gushy to people like it is false and not real but it truly is real. I just love what you said about our ‘Wrecking Ball’ duet and I feel the same! I always feel so honored to be able to sing with you and get to be around you. You are the most gifted person I know, truly. I want to say again how proud I am of the record but more than anything how proud I am of you and our relationship.”
Parton’s influence on Cyrus was evident as late as this year. While celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana, Cyrus revealed that her godmother had taught her to begin promoting an idea before it even existed so public enthusiasm could help bring it to life. She applied that lesson by publicly talking up the anniversary special before Disney had even approved one. The plan actually worked and the special premiered in March, two decades after the series debuted in 2006.
In conjunction with the celebration, Parton took to Instagram and wrote, “Reminiscing on my time as Aunt Dolly. When Hannah Montana came on the air and [Miley], my little goddaughter, was the star of it, I was so proud of her. I thought she was sensational.”
See how other musicians and celebrities have remembered Dolly, and revisit our November 2023 cover story featuring Parton in conversation with Paramore’s Hayley Williams.
