Billy Ray Cyrus Reveals Dolly Parton's Last Message to Him — Miley Recalls One of Her Final Conversations with 'Aunt Dolly'

Amid a global wave of grief for Dolly Parton, two intimate family farewells have exposed the unfiltered reality of her final days.

Billy Ray Cyrus has now shared the words Dolly Parton sent him not long before her death, words tied to a friendship that survived decades of rumors and tabloid noise. His account traces back to a single moment in 1992 that, in his words, changed everything between them.

His daughter, Miley Cyrus, has her own farewell to share. She opened up about one of her last conversations with the country icon she grew up calling "Aunt Dolly," a talk that centered on something far more symbolic than either of them may have realized at the time.

A Friendship Built on Trust

Billy Ray said Dolly had been part of his life since childhood, long before they ever worked together. "Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton," he wrote in a tribute posted to Facebook.

He said she was simply always there, on television, in living rooms, part of the background of everyday American life. Their real bond, though, traces back to a single afternoon in 1992. Billy Ray recalled walking into Dolly's dressing room that year specifically to apologize.

Tabloids at the time were running stories claiming the two country stars were having an affair. Billy Ray said he felt he owed her a direct apology for the gossip attached to her name.

Dolly's response became the story he still tells. According to Billy Ray, she simply looked at him, winked, and said, "Honey, this trash sells records!"

That single line, delivered without a hint of anger, set the tone for the rest of their relationship. It became, in Billy Ray's telling, the defining memory of who Dolly was: unbothered by scandal and endlessly generous with her humor.

Dolly's Final Message to Billy Ray

That decades-old memory is what made Dolly's last message to him land so hard. Billy Ray wrote that Dolly had recently reached out to him directly, with a message he described simply as beautiful.

"Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart," he wrote. He said he intends to carry that love forward the exact same way: "I will always love her in the same way ….. with my whole heart … and I always will."

Billy Ray did not specify the exact date the message was sent or the platform Dolly used to reach him. He closed his tribute by saying he has "so many moments and memories" with her, adding that it is hard to know where to even begin telling them.

Miley's Farewell to "Aunt Dolly"

Miley shared her own tribute separately, choosing to keep most of what passed between her and Dolly private. In an Instagram post, she wrote that losing "Aunt Dolly" felt like more than she could put into words.

"Our most sacred moments were private and they'll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts," she wrote. She did offer one glimpse into their final exchanges, though.

Miley revealed that one of her last conversations with Dolly centered on music and metamorphosis, a theme she punctuated with a single butterfly emoji.

She said she knows exactly what Dolly would want from her now: to feel the loss fully, turn it into a song, and keep moving forward with strength. "I have an angel by my side. I always have," she wrote.

Miley closed her post by saying her heart breaks for Dolly's family, her friends, and fans across the world who will miss her. She added that she believes they will all "see her in all of the most beautiful things" going forward.

As we previously reported, the bond between Dolly and Miley went far deeper than a celebrity friendship — Dolly, who never had children of her own, had poured that love into her goddaughter from the very beginning.

The country music legend was married to her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, for nearly 60 years. The two, who tied the knot on May 30, 1966, had no kids. Dolly opened up about why she never had kids.

In 1982, the singer experienced painful abdominal bleeding that forced her to seek medical help and cancel a tour. Again, in 1984, she went through a partial hysterectomy and was told she would never be able to have kids.

This news put the singer into a two-year depression and pushed her into scaling down her professional commitments. She admitted that the period was a horrible time for her but that she viewed it as a message from God, who was telling her to slow down so that she could deal with the stuff in her life.

Dolly added that God has a plan for everything and that it was his plan for her not to have kids so that everyone else's children would become hers.

However, she said that prior to her health issues, she and her husband had discussed having children. The two had wondered if their kids would be tall like Dean or short like her. They even came up with the name Carla for their future daughter.

Dolly accepted that their dream to become parents wasn't meant to be, and as she and her husband got older, they realized it was best that they never embarked on parenthood. Dean passed away in March 2025 at age 82, and Dolly died on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80.

Dolly believed that if she had become a mother, she would have given up everything else out of guilt from going on tour and leaving her kids at home.

Nothing would have remained the same if the singer had become a parent, and she probably wouldn't be a country music legend. Still, the singer got to be a mother in other ways by becoming a godmother to an iconic pop singer.

Dolly became the godmother of Miley because she was a good friend to her father, Billy Ray. When Miley was born, her father and Dolly agreed that she'd be the goddaughter of the singer.

Dolly took her responsibility as Miley's godmother seriously. Miley was a kid when she first started starring on "Hannah Montana." She turned 13 on the set and became famous and rich during that time. However, she didn't develop what she called "new money syndrome," as her godmother taught her never to let success change her.

Dolly said Miley was sensational on "Hannah Montana." Miley, who calls her godmother "Aunt Dolly," was also the one who suggested Dolly be part of the show, and the country singer was taken on.

Dolly recalled that she really loved the time the two spent on the sitcom. "Here I am, you know, Miley's fairy godmother, and on the show and kind of sharing all that with her," she gushed.

The two worked so well together on the sitcom, and thanks to Miley, Dolly got a whole new following of young people who listened to her songs. The "Two Doors Down" singer was impressed by Miley.

"For me, watching her being such a pro, she didn't know it, but I was watching her like a proud mama, thinking you go, you little thing, I'm so proud of you," she expressed.

Miley credits Dolly for teaching her to be grounded, to treat people with respect, and to always say hi to the person at the bottom of the call sheet. Seeing how her godmother treats people with respect and love also reminds Miley and her family of what's essential in life.

The "Jolene" singer not only taught Miley important values in life, but she also protected and supported her. When Miley decided to get rid of her child star image and started to deliver more provocative performances, Dolly defended her from her critics. She highlighted Miley's growth over the years, noting how smart and talented she was.

According to Dolly, Miley was just trying to find her own place. "She is like me," Dolly added, praising Miley as a great singer and songwriter who was just finding her wings and learning how to fly.

Dolly only advised Miley about her career when she came to her for words of wisdom, but she never called her to tell her to stop doing her own thing. She supported Miley wholeheartedly and unconditionally. Now, Miley is a phenomenal singer who Dolly did duets with, and the two sang each other's songs.

Miley has never met anyone who doesn't love her fairy godmother. She calls the singer "her idol" due to her incomparable career and sees her as her "role model" because of her steadfast morals and values.

"The Climb" singer wishes everyone would have a chance to meet Dolly and see what a great hero she is. Dolly is like a fairy godmother to everyone, and Miley is happy and willing to share her with the world.

The 33-year-old Miley turned 30 in 2023 and is now creating music for herself. She is over the phase where she worked to prove people wrong and has taken a fresh path in her career and life.

In December 2022, she partnered with Dolly to host a TV special, "Miley's New Year's Eve Party: Legendary," on NBC. The singer said she and Dolly have a unique chemistry, realness, and love that people can't resist watching.

The pair's bond is so strong that when Miley informed Dolly she wanted to go brunette, the country singer reacted like she'd been given the worst news ever. Dolly told Miley, "You can't do that. You are me." So the singer decided to remain a blonde.

Dolly and Miley's bond was evident when the two did a "Wrecking Ball" duet in 2023. Miley shared the news on Instagram and said it was "an honor" to have the country singer sing one of her songs. "I love Aunt Dolly," she added.

Dolly replied to this post saying she was so "honored to be able to sing" with Miley and be around her. She described the singer as "the most gifted person" she knows, adding that, while she was proud of their record, she was prouder of her relationship with Miley.

The two supported each other's careers throughout their lives, and Dolly provided the much-needed guidance to her goddaughter. Dolly also acknowledged that she and Miley always had sweet things to say about one another. And while this may "sound gushy" to others, she credited their relationship for being "truly real."

Long before she became a global icon, Dolly Parton grew up in humble circumstances that would shape everything about her — including the values she later passed on to her goddaughter.

Born the fourth of 12 children to Avie Lee and Robert Lee Parton, according to a People cover story, she was raised in a two-room log cabin in Locust Ridge in Sevier County, Tennessee, without electricity or running water.

As a child, she would stand on the front porch and sing her heart out using a tobacco stick and tin can as a makeshift microphone, already dreaming of performing on the Grand Ole Opry.

She credited her spiritual and creative foundation to her mother Avie Lee, and her unparalleled work ethic to her father, a tobacco farmer. Dolly made her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1959 at just 13 years old, introduced by none other than Johnny Cash.

The original cabin where she grew up still stands on Locust Ridge, and according to The Smokies, Dolly sentimentally bought the land back after her parents sold it and restored the home to its 1950s state.

For fans who want a closer look, a replica of the cabin — designed by her brother Bobby and decorated with the approval of her mother Avie Lee — can be visited at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. The original property on Locust Ridge, near Evans Chapel, is private and trespassers are not welcome.

Away from Tennessee, Dolly also quietly kept a more unexpected retreat. A New York Post report revealed that she purchased a modest 1920s triplex farmhouse in Solvang, California — often dubbed the "Danish capital of America" — through Dolly Parton Enterprises in 2004 and used it as a private weekend getaway for nearly a decade before selling it.

The unassuming property, situated on the corner of Alisal Road and Maple Avenue in Santa Barbara County, featured several privacy-focused touches, and left behind a few distinctive "Dolly-isms" — including a small "wig room" in the garage and a birdhouse replica of a Dollywood chapel along the driveway.

The home has since gone on the market for $1.995 million, with current owner Cris Lapp hoping a devoted Dolly fan becomes its next owner.