Miley Cyrus Pays Tribute to Godmother Dolly Parton: “I Have An Angel By My Side”

Miley Cyrus has paid an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton, who passed away at the age of 80 this week. 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 wrote in a statement released Wednesday. “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 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.” The country music legend was Cyrus’s godmother, though their connection began before the pop star was even born. Parton became close with Billy Ray Cyrus around the time “Achy Breaky Heart” earned him his commercial breakthrough in 1992. He and then-wife Tish Cyrus were also expecting a daughter that same year, and so he asked Parton to become her godmother. The Tennessee native remained a fixture in Cyr...