When Dolly Parton appeared as a guest star in an episode of the first season of Hannah Montana in 2006, many were surprised to see the country music legend in a teenage series. The secret lay in the personal connection between the Jolene singer and the show’s protagonist, Miley Cyrus. “I have known her since she was a baby,” the singer, who died yesterday at the age of 80, told Good Morning America in 2009. “Her father is a friend of mine, and when she was born he told me: ‘You have to be her godmother,’ and I agreed.”
Dolly Parton added that they never celebrated a big ceremony, “but I am very proud of her, I love her and she feels like part of my own family.” The artist and Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, met in 1992, when he accompanied her on a tour after the success of her song Achy Breaky Heart, which topped charts around the world. “We simply became good friends,” Dolly Parton said in that interview, “he’s a boy from Kentucky and I’m a girl from Tennessee.”
The singer never had children with her husband, Carl Dean, but she always treated Miley Cyrus as if she were her daughter, showering her with praise while also being frank with her as her fame grew. The mutual affection between them grew over the years, and it was the proud godmother who, from the beginning, had more confidence in her goddaughter’s future. “Kids love her because she’s Hannah Montana, but what people don’t realize is that she is a fantastic singer and songwriter,” Dolly Parton told AOL Music in 2008. “She writes songs as if she were forty! She has a lot of depth.”
The close bond between them was reflected by Miley Cyrus in an emotional tribute to her memory as soon as Dolly Parton passed away. “I can’t believe we’ve lost the purest soul. Rest in glory, Dolly. My heart hurts. You transcended time and you will live in the hearts of generations to come,” wrote the Flowers singer, before describing her passing as “a devastating moment for humanity due to her unmatched heart and generosity.”
Dolly and Miley: a Dynamic Duo
Over the years, the two singers collaborated on numerous occasions, to the delight of their millions of fans. Miley Cyrus participated in Dolly Parton’s 2023 album Rockstar to sing together a rock version of one of her most iconic songs: Wrecking Ball. “I felt very honored,” the country artist said on Howard Stern’s interview program. “I love that song and I love Miley, and when I started selecting all these people for my album, or the songs I wanted to do, I thought: ‘I have to include Miley’.”
Miley and Dolly alongside singer Kenny Rogers and Billy Ray Cyrus in 2010.
The duo also collaborated on Miley’s 2017 track, Rainbowland, included in her album Younger Now. For her part, Miley Cyrus made Dolly Parton’s most famous song, Jolene, her own during a performance of her Backyard Sessions in 2012. In addition, the two singers have shared the stage on numerous occasions over the years.
One of their early duets was for the 2010 special Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood, in which they performed Parton’s 1973 song Jolene together. They also performed this classic during a performance on The Voice in 2016 and again at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Later, goddaughter and godmother collaborated on a Super Bowl advertisement in 2022. And the following year, the duo co-hosted NBC’s Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, which Dolly Parton described as “the greatest thrill of my life.”
Dolly Parton’s Final Advice
Earlier this year, just a few months before her passing, Miley Cyrus paid tribute to her iconic Disney character in celebration of the 20th anniversary special of the series in which she played Hannah Montana. While promoting it, she revealed how her godmother encouraged her to create something spectacular for the fans.
“One of the pieces of advice I liked the most from the last ones she gave me was: ‘Start promoting something before it’s real, because that way, when people get excited, it will be easier to make it come true,'” the young artist explained during an appearance on Good Morning America last March. The two collaborated for the last time in January, when they re-recorded Dolly Parton’s classic, Light of a Clear Blue Morning.
