Miley Cyrus is keeping most of what she shared with Dolly Parton to herself. One detail from near the end, however, made it into her public goodbye.
Cyrus posted a tribute to her godmother on Aug. 26, one day after Parton died at 80. She described losing “Aunt Dolly” as something that felt too personal to fully put online, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts,” Cyrus wrote.
She did reveal one detail from near the end. “One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.” Cyrus did not say when the conversation happened or elaborate on what the two discussed.
One of Their Last Conversations Stayed With Miley
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Cyrus said she knew how Parton would want her to respond to the loss. “What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong,” she wrote. “I have an angel by my side. I always have.”
She added that she would always love Parton and continue trying to make her proud. Cyrus also extended her thoughts to Parton’s family, friends and the people mourning her around the world, writing, “We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”
Parton Became Her Godmother After Befriending Billy Ray Cyrus
Parton’s relationship with the Cyrus family began through Billy Ray Cyrus. He became friends with Parton while touring with her in the early 1990s and later asked her to become Miley’s godmother.
Parton recalled the story during a 2023 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, saying Billy Ray told her they were having a girl and asked her to take on the role. “I’d be honored,” Parton remembered answering. “So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years.”
The relationship eventually reached television. Parton appeared as Aunt Dolly on Hannah Montana, and Cyrus told Variety earlier this year that those remained her favorite episodes. “That’s how her and I became as close as we are,” she said.
Parton also defended Cyrus as she moved away from her Disney image. Writing for Time in 2014, she said she might have worried about Cyrus if she did not know how smart and talented she was, adding, “She knows what she’s doing.”
Parton Was Still Cheering Her On Earlier This Year
The encouragement continued into 2026. Cyrus told Variety in March that Parton’s advice helped inspire the rollout of her Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special. Parton had taught her that if she wanted something to happen, she should start promoting it before it existed so it became harder for anyone to say no.
Parton sent Variety a statement supporting the anniversary project after Cyrus told her about it. “I jumped up and down and thought what a brilliant idea,” she wrote. “I am so proud of her.” She signed off: “Congratulations girl. I love you, Aunt Dolly.”
Their Last Released Collaboration Came in January
Music repeatedly brought Cyrus and Parton together. They performed “Jolene” on multiple occasions, co-wrote “Rainbowland” for Cyrus’ 2017 album Younger Now and recorded “Christmas Is” for Parton’s 2020 holiday album. Parton later recorded a duet version of Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” for her 2023 album Rockstar.
They also blended “Wrecking Ball” with “I Will Always Love You” while co-hosting Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, giving the two songs a shared performance before an audience far larger than the private spaces Cyrus described in her farewell.
Their most recent released recording arrived Jan. 16. Parton brought Cyrus together with Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah and Lainey Wilson for a new version of her 1977 song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” with proceeds benefiting pediatric cancer research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, PEOPLE reported.