Miley Cyrus Mourns Godmother Dolly Parton
When someone has been part of your life for as long as you can remember, saying goodbye can feel almost impossible. For Miley Cyrus, that loss is even more personal….
When someone has been part of your life for as long as you can remember, saying goodbye can feel almost impossible. For Miley Cyrus, that loss is even more personal. Following the death of her godmother and longtime mentor Dolly Parton at age 80, Cyrus shared an emotional message about the woman who had been part of her life since she was a baby.
Parton died Tuesday, and the following morning, Cyrus took to Instagram to remember her. She admitted that putting the loss into words was difficult, writing that “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,” she wrote. “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. 🦋”
Cyrus ended the post with a message showing just how much Parton meant to her.
“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. 💖”
A Bond That Started Early
Cyrus and Parton did not simply become friends through music. Their connection goes back to the beginning of Cyrus' life.
Parton explained their relationship during a 2009 appearance on Good Morning America, saying, “I’ve known her since she was a baby,” Parton told Good Morning America in 2009. “Her father’s a friend of mine, and when she was born, he said, ‘You just have to be her godmother,’ and I said, ‘I accept.’ We never did do a big ceremony, but I’m so proud of her, love her, and she’s just like one of my own.”
That special relationship also extended to Cyrus' family. After news of Parton's death broke, Billy Ray Cyrus shared a tribute of his own.
“Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms,” he wrote, adding: “Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way ….. with my whole heart … and I always will.”
For Cyrus, Parton was family. For millions of fans, she was also a country music legend. Somehow, their relationship managed to be both deeply personal and very public.
From Hannah Montana to the Grammy Stage
Parton even became part of the fictional world that helped make Cyrus a household name. She played Cyrus' on-screen godmother on Hannah Montana, making occasional appearances throughout the show's four seasons.
The two also shared plenty of real-life moments on stage. In 2022, Cyrus and Parton co-hosted NBC's Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party from Miami, Florida. The special featured the two singers performing together, including versions of “Wrecking Ball” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Their musical connection stretched back even further.
Cyrus joined Parton in 2010 at the 25th anniversary of Dollywood, where they performed “Jolene.” The song became one of Cyrus' signature performances over the years, and the pair brought it back to the Grammy Awards stage in 2019.
Their creative partnership also found its way onto Cyrus' own albums. Cyrus co-wrote “Rainbowland” with Parton for her 2017 album Younger Now. Three years later, Parton returned the favor by bringing her goddaughter into the holiday spirit for A Holly Dolly Christmas in 2020.
A Legacy That Keeps Singing
Cyrus' tribute makes clear that Parton's influence was about more than music. She was someone who watched Cyrus grow up, encouraged her creativity and remained a source of love throughout her life.
That makes Cyrus' memory of their final conversations especially meaningful. They were talking about music and “metamorphosis,” a word that suggests change, growth and transformation.
Now, Cyrus is facing one of the biggest changes of all: learning how to move forward without someone who had always been there.
Still, she knows exactly what Parton would probably want her to do. Feel the loss. Turn it into music. Keep going.
And if Cyrus does what her godmother taught her, Dolly Parton's voice may not be gone from her life at all. It may simply become part of the songs, memories and beautiful moments that come next.
