Dolly Parton's passing on Aug. 25 carries a bittersweet significance for her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, the date is also the birthday of Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus, whose decades-long friendship with Parton first brought the two families together.
Within minutes of Parton's death being confirmed Tuesday, Cyrus turned to X to grieve her godmother. "I can't believe we just lost the purest soul. Rest in Glory, Dolly. My heart aches," she wrote, adding in a follow-up post that Parton "transcended time & you live in the hearts of entire generations."
Parton and Billy Ray Cyrus became close in 1992 after his hit "Achy Breaky Heart," when he toured alongside her. "We just got to be good friends," Parton said in a 2024 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. "He's a Kentucky boy. I'm from Tennessee." When Miley was born later that year, Billy Ray asked Parton to be her godmother. "I accept," Parton recalled telling him, according to a 2009 interview with Good Morning America. "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."
The bond grew into a musical partnership as well, with Parton and Cyrus collaborating and performing each other's songs throughout Cyrus's career. "I just think Miley is a spectacular human being and an amazing talent," Parton once said of her goddaughter.
Parton's nephew, Brian Seaver, confirmed her death Tuesday in an Instagram tribute, saying she had gone to be reunited with her late husband Carl and loved ones "in the arms of Jesus." Tributes have continued pouring in from across music and Hollywood as fans remember a friendship that spanned more than three decades and two generations of the Cyrus family.
Related article: Dolly Parton Dies at 80, Nephew Says She's "In the Arms of Jesus"
