Billy Ray Cyrus has issued a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, honoring his longtime friend and musical collaborator after her sudden death was announced Tuesday.
Cyrus, 65, shared both the stage and recording studio with Parton over the years, and their bond ran so deep that he named the country legend godmother to his daughter, Miley Cyrus.
The statement arrived about two hours after Cyrus drew attention for posting a poorly timed birthday message to himself shortly after news of Parton’s death became public.
‘I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it’s hard to know where to start. Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TVs, right in our living rooms,’ he wrote.
Cyrus also looked back on one of the more colorful chapters in their friendship: the early 1990s tabloid speculation that the two were romantically involved while touring together.
‘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!”‘ he recalled.
Billy Ray Cyrus paid emotional tribute to his close friend and collaborator Dolly Parton after her sudden death on Tuesday
The country music icon’s death was confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram video shared by her nephew Bryan Seaver
Cyrus then revealed Parton’s final words to him, writing, ‘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.’
Just two hours before his eulogy to Parton, Cyrus posted a star-studded birthday tribute to himself.
In the celebratory clip, his daughters Miley and her sister Noah, his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, and a number of other celebrities including Lil Nas X, Shania Twain, Diplo, and Dennis Quaid wish the Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker a happy 65th birthday.
Fans in the comments section were confused by the timing of the post, with many reasoning that Cyrus must not have received the sad news of Parton’s passing when the video was posted.
‘I don’t think he knows,’ commented one fan, while another wrote, ‘It was probably a scheduled post.’
‘He knows. Trust me he knows. The guy is most likely in shock,’ wrote a third.
Another commented, ‘What a coincidence to die on the same day as Billy’s birthday.’
Cyrus and Parton first became friends in the early ’90s when he opened for the Jolene songstress shortly after the release of his breakout hit Achy Breaky Heart.
Cyrus, 65, was a longtime friend of Parton’s and even named the late singer as the godmother to his daughter Miley
The pair toured together and were falsely rumored to have had an affair in 1992
The pair cashed-in on the rumors of their romance by releasing the 1993 duet ‘Romeo’, which reached No. 50 on the Hot 100
The crooner welcomed daughter Miley in 1992 and named Parton as her godmother.
In 1993, Cyrus and Parton capitalized on the publicity surrounding their friendship by releasing a song together, Romeo, which reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The legendary country singer’s death was confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram video posted by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also acted as her head of security.
She died Tuesday morning at age 80 after being admitted Friday to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ.
Parton’s loved ones began racing to Nashville upon hearing news of her hospitalization, but not all were able to reach her while she was alive.
‘This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,’ Seaver said.
Just two hours before his eulogy to Parton, Cyrus posted a star-studded birthday tribute to himself which featured his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley
The tribute video also featured Miley, Shania Twain, and many other stars
Lil Nas X, who recorded Old Town Road with Cyrus, also appeared in the video
He hailed his aunt for having ‘lived in the light’ and said she was now ‘in the arms of Jesus’ and the company of her late husband Carl Dean, as well as her parents and ‘countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.’
Parton, who is often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned an incredible six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
Her passing came after months of health woes that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling fan fears for her wellbeing.
Family insiders indicated that a private service for close friends and relations will be held in Nashville within the next few days.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had declared she still had ‘so many things I want to achieve’ and vowed to continue ‘working as long as I can to see everything come to life,’ via People.
She explained that she had been grappling with ‘some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.’
