Miley Cyrus grieves death of godmother Dolly Parton: ‘I have an angel by my side’

Pop star Miley Cyrus is grieving the loss of her beloved godmother, country music icon Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80 .

"The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they'll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts," Cyrus shared in a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday.

"What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong," she said. "I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis. 🦋"

Cyrus added, "I will always love her and want to make her proud. 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. 💖"

A legendary singer-songwriter , Parton frequently collaborated with younger artists, including Cyrus, Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter. She was also perhaps best known among younger generations as the godmother of the Hannah Montana star.

Just how exactly did the deep connection between Parton and Cyrus begin? Parton said during a 2023 interview on "The Howard Stern Show" that she became close to Cyrus's father, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, when he toured while promoting his 1992 single, "Achy Breaky Heart."

"We just got to be good friends because he's a Kentucky boy, I'm from Tennessee," Parton said in the interview. "And he said … 'We're having a girl, and you've got to be her godmother!' And I said, 'Well, I'd be honored.' So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years."

Parton played the character of Aunt Dolly in three episodes of the hit Disney show Hannah Montana and told Vanity Fair in 2020 that she felt like a "proud mama" working with her goddaughter on the series. "We just worked so great together. ... And thanks to her, I had a whole new following of people that were turned on to me," she added, referring to the younger fans of the TV show.

Cyrus and Parton also supported each other in the music industry over the years. Cyrus referred to her godmother as a "role model," telling People in 2013, "She's a legend and unlike anyone I've ever seen before."

During the 2010 "Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood" Hallmark special, Parton brought Cyrus on stage to perform "Jolene" alongside her.

On Cyrus's 2017 "Younger Now" album, she featured her godmother on her "Rainbowland" track. Parton also recorded a duet of Cyrus' song "Wrecking Ball" for her 2023 "Rockstar" album.

In 2023, the music duo cohosted NBC's "Miley's New Year's Eve Party," where Parton raved over the experience, describing it as the "thrill of [her] life."

In 2024, Cyrus revealed to W Magazine that Parton was more than a godmother. "Dolly's been like a mother to me," she said. "Actually, I was just reading this fax that she sent me two Mother's Days ago. … Dolly wrote to me to say: 'How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach.' It gets me choked up. I just love her so much."