Miley Cyrus has revealed the private last words she exchanged with Dolly Parton before the country legend’s death.
Cyrus, 32, spoke with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about her final conversation with Parton, who died on August 25 at 80 following a private battle with cancer. The “Flowers” singer explained that their last talk centered on her new record, continuing a tradition that stretched back through her entire vinyl-making career.
“Dolly has been the first person that when I get a vinyl printed, that’s the first person I send it to since I’ve been making vinyls, and this time around I’m going to send her a vinyl because I always do,” she said.
Cyrus emphasized how their differences forged their connection rather than weakening it. “But the time that we talked, which was the last time we would talk, it was actually me telling her about this record because even though we are so different — that’s what made us so perfect for each other is that, and she knew this and I know this; she is like known for the fake, the hair, the makeup and the show of it. But there’s a part of her that is what everyone gravitates towards, [which] is how real she is and how authentic she is.”
The pair’s bond ran deeper than show business. Parton became Cyrus’s godmother decades earlier through her close friendship with Billy Ray Cyrus, creating a relationship that blended family ties with professional mentorship. Their creative partnership spanned more than three decades, beginning when Parton guest-starred as Cyrus’s fictional Aunt Dolly on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana in the mid-2000s.
Cyrus credited Parton with helping her navigate the tension between public persona and private self. “There was a time in my life — we hit on it with Hannah — [where] so much of my life was about persona,” she continued. “And I think a way that I could look at that as you can have a persona and still be who you are is because I had Dolly. Sometimes I call what I do drag because the way that I present myself is just someone that is so different from the person that feeds the tortoise every morning. But again, that person’s inside of me. I just kind of have her off.”
Parton’s parting philosophy to her goddaughter focused on channeling grief into creative work. “What I know is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong,” Cyrus shared. “I have an angel by my side. I always have. I will always love her and want to make her proud.”
Throughout Cyrus’s artistic transformations, Parton consistently defended her goddaughter against media criticism and celebrated her refusal to conform to industry expectations. Their collaboration continued through Parton’s 2023 rock album Rockstar, which topped charts and demonstrated their enduring creative chemistry.
The two performers also shared televised stages for duets of “Jolene” and “Wrecking Ball,” performances that highlighted their vocal interplay and mutual respect. Cyrus noted that while their most sacred memories would remain private, their final discussions revolved around “music and metamorphosis.”
Parton’s death prompted global tributes honoring her seven-decade songwriting career and her philanthropic work through the Imagination Library. Cyrus indicated that Parton’s lessons about transforming hardship into melody and facing life transitions without fear would shape her upcoming creative projects.