‘I have an angel by my side': Miley Cyrus releases emotional message after ‘losing Aunt Dolly'

Miley Cyrus released an emotional post about the loss of her godmother Dolly Parton, one day after the iconic singer passed away on a day Cyrus has long said held significance in her life.

“The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,” Cyrus began her message. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.”

Cyrus went on to say that Parton would want her to channel her emotions into song.

“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,” she wrote. “I will always love her and want to make her proud.”

Cyrus and Parton have long held a close relationship, with Parton appearing on Cyrus’ Disney hit “Hannah Montana” and the two performing together onstage numerous times, even hosting a “New Year’s Eve Party” together in 2022.

“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,” Cyrus wrote.

Parton passed away at age 80 on Aug. 25 — a day Cyrus has considered to be an “important” one in her personal life and career.

The day marks her father’s birthday, the day she split from her then-husband Liam Hemsworth in 2010, the day she released her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Wrecking Ball” in 2013, the anniversary of her controversial MTV Awards performance with Robin Thicke that same year and the day she released “Used To Be Young” in 2023.

In a 2023 interview for the ABC special “Endless Summer Vacation,” Cyrus explained why she chose Aug. 25 as the release date for “Used to Be Young.”

“I decided to release ‘Used To Be Young’ on Aug. 25 because this particular date historically has been important to me personally and in my career,” she said.

Now, it will also be a day of remembrance.

Cyrus’ statement follows one from her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who was celebrating his 65th birthday on the day Parton passed.

“I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it’s hard to know where to start,” he wrote on Instagram. “Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms. In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her. In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, ‘Honey, this trash sells records!'”

As part of his post remembering Parton, Billy Ray Cyrus revealed the legendary singer sent him a message shortly before her passing.

“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,” he wrote.

Parton’s team said she had faced a brief battle with cancer and died Tuesday surrounded by her loved ones.

In a recording done on behalf of the Parton and Owens families, Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver announced the news in a video to her fans. Seaver said he was asked to record the video years ago by his aunt, “before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.”

“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness, but sadness lies with us, not with Dolly,” Seaver said. “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens.”

Known for her curvy physique, massive blonde wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, Parton was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.

She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams. She was a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.

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