Miley Cyrus shared a moving tribute to her godmother and mentor, Dolly Parton, writing, “I will always love her and want to make her proud.”
In a statement shared on Instagram, Cyrus wrote: “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.”
Despite her grief, Cyrus said she knows Parton would want her to “feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong.” She added, “I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.”
Cyrus closed by saying, “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.”
Parton and Cyrus maintained a deep relationship over the years. Famously, Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, asked Parton to be his daughter’s godmother before she’d even been born. Years later, Parton had a recurring guest role on Hannah Montana, where she played “Aunt Dolly” to Cyrus’ character, Miley Stewart. They went on to share the stage countless times together and then, in 2024, Cyrus and Parton learned they were actually family, with both sharing a very distant relative who’d been born in the 18th century.
Speaking with Rolling Stone in 2013, Cyrus cited Parton as one of her biggest role models: “Dolly knows what she is. She’s smart. She’s not just a blonde with big titties – she is a genius under there. She literally came from nothing, and now you go anywhere in the world, and they know Dolly Parton. It’s like, don’t let people’s judgment define who you are. Don’t read the comments and get nervous. Know who you are.”
Countless artists have paid tribute to Parton following her death yesterday after a brief battle with cancer. Others include Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, most current and former U.S. presidents, Jelly Roll, Brandi Carlile, Eminem, and Jack White, to name just a few.
