Miley Cyrus has led tributes to her “angel” godmother Dolly Parton after the death of he country music superstar at the age of 80, following a “brief battle with cancer”.
Wrecking Ball singer Cyrus, 33, frequently cited the queen of country as a deeply meaningful figure in her life.
[xdelx]She wrote on Instagram: “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.
“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.
“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.”
Parton played Aunt Dolly on Cyrus’s breakout TV show, Hannah Montana.
They also performed a number of duets together including a cover of Wrecking Ball for Parton’s 2023 rock album Rockstar.
Cyrus join the biggest names in music, including: Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift and Beyonce; in detailing her impact and her legacy, as both a musician and a humanitarian.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards played 9 To 5, one of her biggest hits, on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace during Changing the Guard on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, landmarks around the US were lit up pink in her honour, including the Empire State Building in New York, the Willis Tower in Chicago and the Pacific Park Ferris Wheel in Los Angeles.
News of Parton’s death was announced by her family on Tuesday night, and her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said: “After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Centre surrounded by loved ones.”
The singer was best known for her genre-defining hits including 9 To 5, I Will Always Love You and Jolene.
[xdelx]The statement continued: “Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.”
The type of cancer was not disclosed.
Parton’s death was announced late on Tuesday via an Instagram video by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who also served as the singer’s head of security.
He said it was “an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness” to share the news of her death, adding: “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.
“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
Parton’s husband Carl Dean died last year aged 82.
Flags will be lowered throughout America in Parton’s honour, US President Donald Trump announced, posting on Truth Social “there has never been anyone like her”.
Jane Fonda, who starred in the film 9 To 5 with Parton and was a lifelong friend, said she was “devastated”, adding: “I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever.
“We have our memories of her, her songs, Dollywood, ‘9 to 5′, the millions of books she got into the hands of children, all the iconic images that bring her to us.
“And they are all blessings. Let’s be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now.”
The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb, who co-wrote Islands in the Stream for Parton and Kenny Rogers, wrote in a tribute on X: “Dolly was next to me at the microphone, and we were reminiscing about when we made Islands in the Stream, among other memories.
“She suddenly turned to me and said, ‘Where we are standing right now is where I wrote Jolene, and I Will Always Love You.'”
“This is how I remember Dolly, a gigantic talent possessed by an artist who was unreachable,” he added.
“Her songs were the greatest, and she was the greatest; no matter what, she will live on. Whenever she entered a room, she sparkled, and I believe she always will.”
Sir Elton said he was “shocked and devastated” to hear of her death, adding she was “a giant of an artist – unique and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart”.
She added: “Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humour, your entrepreneurship.
“I’m honoured that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”
Swift said a world without Dolly Parton “doesn’t feel possible, real, or right”.
She added: “But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one.
“She was truly the gift that kept on giving. Dolly gave us someone to look up to while encouraging us to be who we are as individuals. Somehow, she was able to give us her lessons about the world gently and honestly, simultaneously, and oftentimes hilariously.”
Sir Paul remembered Parton as a “magnificent star”, adding: “It is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly”, while Sir Mick said: “We will all miss her so much.”
Piano Man singer Billy Joel said Parton “transcended time and became one of those iconic artists who is known for just being Dolly, beyond a specific song or moment in time”.
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey said “she brought the light, and we are all better because she was here”.
The family of country singer Kenny Rogers, with whom Parton duetted on Islands In The Stream, said: “It’s painstakingly hard to put into words what you meant to Kenny… and to all of us.
“When the two of you sang about being islands in the stream who together had found peace unknown, having real love for each other as true friends who would always stand by each other, and how you just can’t make old friends, it was always as genuine as it could possibly be… coming straight from the heart and reflecting what you both felt for each other.”
Rogers died in 2020.
In May, Parton pulled out of a highly anticipated Las Vegas residency, which was due to begin in September.
She had already postponed her six-date run at the Colosseum Theatre at Caesars Palace from December 2025 to deal with “health challenges”.
At Parton’s request, a small, private funeral service will be held for immediate family, a statement from her family on social media said.
In lieu of flowers, her family asked for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
She was a savvy businesswoman with an empire that included a theme park, aptly named Dollywood, and a pioneering philanthropist.
Imagination Library, a programme devoted to inspiring a love of reading in children, has given more than 300 million books to youngsters.
She was also a supporter of several charities for black and LGBT+ communities, as well as the Barbara Davis Centre for Childhood Diabetes, Save the Music Foundation and the Boot Campaign.
In 2020, she donated one million dollars (£733,000) to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Parton was also a prolific songwriter, who penned I Will Always Love You – one of the defining love songs of the 20th century – as a goodbye to her former creative partner, Porter Wagoner, who hired her to be his sidekick on his eponymous TV show and helped her land a record deal.
The song became a blockbuster hit when Whitney Houston recorded a cover for the 1992 film, The Bodyguard.
Parton was born in a single-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, in 1946, the fourth of 12 children.
She began her musical journey at the age of six, singing in the local church where her grandfather was the pastor.
By the age of 13, she had reached the pinnacle of country music success: an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Over the course of her career, which spanned more than 60 years, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs, including hits Coat Of Many Colours and Joshua.
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