Miley Cyrus’s Dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, Releases Emotional Statement About Dolly Parton’s Death

Dolly Parton passed away this week at the age of 80, and celebrities have been paying tribute to the late country icon—including her close friend and fellow country singer Billy Ray Cyrus (aka Miley Cyrus’s dad).Billy and Dolly were extremely close over the years, and she was even his daughter Miley Cyrus’s godmother. He reflected on their friendship in an emotional Instagram statement, writing, “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 went on to tell a sweet and funny story from early in their relationship, writing, “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!’”Billy added that he and Dolly had been in touch recently, saying she “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.”Dolly and Billy got close touring together in the ’90s. As she put it on The Howard Stern Show, “We just got to be good friends because he’s a Kentucky boy, I’m from Tennessee. And he said, ‘We’re having a girl, and you’ve got to be her godmother!’ And I said, ‘Well, I’d be honored.’ So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years.”