Miley Cyrus has made a touching tribute to her godmother Dolly Parton, following her death earlier this week.
The death of the country music icon and philanthropist was announced on Tuesday (August 25). In the update, her team shared that the 80-year-old died following “a brief battle with cancer”.
The ‘Jolene’ singer had spoken publicly about her health in recent months, and in an update published last week opened up about dealing with issues she had neglected while caring for her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, before his death last year.
Countless tributes have poured in since the news broke, including from Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Cyndi Lauper, Oprah, Barbra Streisand, Jack White, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kelly Clarkson, Debbie Harry, Shania Twain, Barack Obama, Beyonce and more.
Now Miley Cyrus has also made a moving post in Parton’s memory, recalling the last time that the two of them spoke. Parton was Cyrus’ godmother, having agreed to it when asked by Miley’s father, friend and fellow country music star Billy Ray Cyrus.
Referring to her by the affectionate nickname “Aunt Dolly” – the same name she was given during her cameo on Hannah Montana – 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 and between our hearts.”
Continuing, Cyrus 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. 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.”
As well as the cameos on Hannah Montana, Parton also joined forces with Cyrus multiple times once she launched her solo singing career. This included getting Miley to cameo on her ‘A Holly Dolly Christmas’ album in 2020.
That album also starred Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Bublé, Jimmy Fallon and Willie Nelson, and Miley featured on a song called ‘Christmas Is’.
“She had to sing on this Christmas album,” Parton said at the time. “She was working on her own project and I said, ‘I’m not going to ask you to put it out as a single, I know you got your own thing, but you have to sing on this album with me – you and Billy Ray, because you’re like family, and I’m probably never going to do another Christmas album.’”
At the end of 2022, the two of them mashed up ‘Wrecking Ball’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ at Miley’s star-studded NYE party, and they have also come together to sing Parton’s hit song ‘Jolene’ together multiple times over the years.
In light of Dolly’s passing, Donald Trump has paid his respects, and ordered that, for a full week, flags be flown at half-mast across the US in Parton’s memory.
On Truth Social, he said that Parton was “one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER” and her passing came as “a true loss” for millions around the world. “There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” he added.
As well as her music, Dolly Parton was known for her philanthropy, and her Imagination Library helped provide 300 million books to children around the world. She has also donated considerable sums of money to those affected by Hurricane Helene and other natural disasters, and also to help fund vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an NME obituary for Parton, Jordan Bassett wrote: “As we all reel from Dolly Parton’s death, that glorious 2014 Glastonbury set may prove a balm. Introducing ‘Coat Of Many Colors’, her 1971 country hit about a patchwork coat sewn by her mother, this humble ‘farmer’s daughter’ paid tribute to her family’s love and resilience. Resplendent in her rhinestone suit, she embodied both qualities as a unifying icon. The world has become more divided since that set, but everyone will always love Dolly.”
