One day after the sudden death of Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus broke her silence over her beloved godmother’s passing.
Videos by Suggest
In her touching tribute, Miley 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.”
She then shared, “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.”
“I will always love her and want to make her proud,” Miley added. “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 was asked to be Miley’s godmother by the singer-songwriter’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus. The duo had been friends for years before he made the request.
“And he said … ‘We’re having a girl, and you’ve got to be her godmother!’” Parton previously recalled while appearing on The Howard Stern Show. “And I said: ‘Well, I’d be honored.’ So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years.”
Parton further spoke about her special bond with her goddaughter. “Well, she’s asked me a lot of things. She mostly just runs things by me, and we talk,” the country music legend revealed. “She’s very successful. Miley’s very smart. She’s very intuitive about the business, and I just think Miley’s a spectacular human being and an amazing talent.”
Miley’s Father Spoke About His Longtime Friendship With Parton
Parton has been a friend of Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, since the early ’90s.
“I have so many moments and memories with Dolly,” Billy Ray wrote in his tribute to Dolly. “It’s hard to know where to start. 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.”
While the duo was on tour together, rumors circulated that Billy Ray and Dolly were having an affair. The “Achy Breaky Heart” hitmaker revealed Dolly’s reaction to the claims.
“In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her,” he shared. “In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked, and said, ‘Honey, this trash sells records!’”
Billy Ray once said he owed his country music success to Dolly.
“I love Dolly. I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without her,” he said during a 2016 interview with Closer. “Keep in mind, she was there in 1992 when I went from living in my Chevy Beretta to recording my first album,” Billy recalls to Closer. “Pretty soon after that, I was opening her shows! She sent a letter to my dressing room, and we just bonded from that night on.”