Miley Cyrus has opened up for the first time in detail about her final conversation with her late godmother, Dolly Parton. During an emotional interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Cyrus revealed that their last discussion centered on music and the new chapter she was preparing to begin.
Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80 following what her representative described as a brief battle with cancer. For Cyrus, the loss was deeply personal because Parton had been far more than a legendary musician in her life—she had been a mentor, family figure and trusted source of advice since Miley was young.
Cyrus revealed that the final time they spoke, she was telling Parton about her new album, “Bass Persuades.” She explained that despite their many differences, those differences were actually part of what made their relationship work so beautifully.
One of the qualities Cyrus admired most was the contrast between Parton’s extravagant public image and the person behind it. Dolly was famous for big hair, glamorous outfits and elaborate makeup, but Cyrus said underneath that carefully created image was someone remarkably genuine and authentic.
That example became especially important to Cyrus because she grew up dealing with her own complicated relationship with fame. As the star of “Hannah Montana,” she learned at a young age what it meant to have a public persona while still trying to understand who she really was away from the cameras.
According to Cyrus, Parton helped her understand that creating a larger-than-life stage identity did not mean losing your authentic self. That lesson stayed with Miley as she moved beyond her Disney years and repeatedly reinvented her music, appearance and public image.
Cyrus also remembered how differently the two women sometimes approached performing. Miley admitted that she frequently becomes emotional and cries while singing, while Parton viewed music more as a form of escape and encouraged her to keep going and allow the audience to experience the emotion themselves.
One especially meaningful memory came from their 2023 “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party,” when Cyrus and Parton performed “I Will Always Love You” together. Miley recalled becoming emotional during that performance because she was already conscious that some of the older artists who had guided her throughout her life would not always be there.
Parton was one of the people Cyrus regularly turned to when she needed guidance. Looking back now, Miley summed up her godmother’s influence simply, saying Dolly was “always right about stuff.” Losing her therefore means losing someone she could call whenever she found herself wondering what to do next.
Their relationship stretched back to Cyrus’ childhood. Parton once explained that Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, asked her to become Miley’s godmother when she was born. Although there was never a formal ceremony, Dolly embraced the role and later said she loved Miley like one of her own children.
After Parton’s death, Cyrus said some of their most precious memories would remain private. She did reveal that one of their final conversations involved “music and metamorphosis,” and she expressed her determination to continue making her godmother proud. Cyrus also plans to maintain a personal tradition by sending Dolly a vinyl copy of her new record, just as she had done with previous releases.
For Cyrus, Parton’s absence leaves a space that cannot simply be replaced. But their final conversation was fittingly about the subject that connected them throughout their lives—music. As Cyrus enters another era of her career with “Bass Persuades,” she is doing so without the mentor she once called for answers, but with decades of Dolly’s guidance, humor and wisdom still shaping the artist and person she has become.
