One day after Dolly Parton‘s death at the age of 80, Miley Cyrus honored her famous godmother in an emotional post on Instagram on Wednesday (Aug. 26).
“The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,” Cyrus began alongside a black-and-white photo of a younger Parton. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.”
“What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong,” she continued. “I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.”
Cyrus went on to say that she “will always love her and want to make her proud,” adding that her “heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply.”
“We’re in this loss together,” the star concluded, “and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”
Parton died Tuesday (Aug. 25) after “a brief battle with cancer,” according to a statement shared by her team that day. The news was formally announced to the world by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who served as her head of security for two decades.
“Sadness lies with us, not Dolly,” Seaver said in a video posted to his famous aunt’s social media. “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who had watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens. She never saw a door she couldn’t open and the doors she opened made and changed history.”
The close bond between Parton and Cyrus was special to fans across the world, many of whom watched them act alongside each other on Hannah Montana, on which the Queen of Country made a couple of cameos as Cyrus’ character’s godmother. Parton also joined her real-life goddaughter for Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party in 2022, and the two women collaborated on songs such as “Rainbowland” from Cyrus’ 2017 album Younger Now and a revamped version of “Wrecking Ball” for Parton’s 2024 LP, Rockstar.
The pair were also open about their love for one another in interviews. “I love my Miley,” Parton said in a clip for Billboard in 2023 while discussing their joint version of “Wrecking Ball.”
Cyrus’ post about Parton comes on the heels of her father’s. Billy Ray Cyrus posted his own tribute to the music legend on Tuesday, writing on Instagram, “I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it’s hard to know where to start.”
“Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton,” he continued. “She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms … Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way ….. with my whole heart … and I always will.”
