Miley Cyrus has paid tribute to her godmother, the late country music legend Dolly Parton, in an emotional message posted to Instagram.
“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. “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 concluded, “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.”
Parton had been a part of Cyrus’ life since she was a baby. Cyrus’ dad, “Achy Breaky Heart” rocker Billy Ray Cyrus, toured with Parton in the 1990s and asked the “Jolene” singer if she would be his daughter’s godmother before she was even born.
Cyrus’ relationship with Parton deepened on the set of “Hannah Montana,” on which Parton played Miley Stewart’s Aunt Dolly. “My favorite episodes are the ones with Dolly. That’s how her and I became as close as we are,” Cyrus told Variety during her March 2026 cover interview.
