Jon Blistein
Contact Jon Blistein by Email View all posts by Jon Blistein August 26, 2026
Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus performing together at the 2019 Grammys. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images 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.”
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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.
