Exploring Miley Cyrus's beautiful bond with late Dolly Parton
What's the story
Pop star Miley Cyrus shared a close bond with the late country music icon Dolly Parton, who was also her godmother. Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80, was asked by Cyrus's father, fellow country star Billy Ray Cyrus, to be her godmother when she was born in 1992. "Dolly's been like a mother to me," Cyrus had said in an interview with W Magazine in 2024. Let's explore their precious relationship.
Communication
Cyrus humorously revealed that she communicated with Parton through fax
Back in 2022, Cyrus humorously revealed that her communication with Parton was often through fax.
"Every time I coordinate and kind of communicate with Dolly, it's still through fax... She's rarely on the phone," she told Seth Meyers on his late-night show.
"She does a fax, and then someone scans the fax, and they put it into a text message, and then that gets sent to me."
Tribute
Cyrus honored Parton during 'Hannah Montana' anniversary special
Earlier this year, Cyrus paid tribute to Parton on the 20th anniversary special of her Disney show Hannah Montana.
Parton featured frequently on the show as Hannah's godmother.
"One of my favorite pieces of advice [Dolly] ever gave me was, 'Start promoting something before it's real, because then as people get excited, it'll be easier to make it happen,'" she said while promoting the special.
"So I just started talking about the 'Hanniversary' special before one even existed."
Performances
'Dolly doesn't want anyone to copy'
Cyrus has paid tribute to Parton through various performances. She sang Parton's 1997 song Light of a Clear Blue Morning on Saturday Night Live in 2021.
"I got a fax. And she loved it," Cyrus told Meyers. "She loves when I introduce my fans to music in a way that's still me."
"Dolly doesn't want anyone to copy [and] paste... she wants them to infuse themselves into her music because that's what I think has made Dolly so loved."
Collaborations
Cyrus and Parton's collaborations over the years
Parton and Cyrus have collaborated on several occasions, including Cyrus's 2017 song Rainbowland from her Younger Now album.
They also performed the classic song Jolene multiple times, including once on The Voice in 2016 and at the Grammy Awards in 2019.
They worked on a T-Mobile Super Bowl LVI commercial in 2022, too.
Both of them showed up for the other during milestone moments across the years, be it 25 Years of Dollywood or Miley's New Year's Eve Party.
Recent
'She's always gonna keep the show going'
The two maintained a strong bond throughout Cyrus's life.
When the country legend announced health issues last year, the former Disney star gave an update about Parton on Entertainment Tonight, saying, "She's always gonna keep the show going."
And, rightfully, Parton continued working right until the end.
She had to be admitted for "kidney and autoimmune issues" days before her death on Tuesday. Parton also bravely fought cancer for a brief time.
May she rest in peace.