Miley Cyrus shares emotional farewell after godmother Dolly Parton dies at 80
People across the world are grieving the loss of country-music icon Dolly Parton. Her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, has now honored the legendary performer with a deeply personal tribute.
Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a video posted to social media on Tuesday, August 25. The beloved singer was 80.
Introducing himself as Cassie Parton’s son, Seaver said he was speaking for the Parton and Owens families as he shared that his aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, had passed away. He noted that different generations of the family knew her lovingly as Sister, Sis, Granny, and Gigi.
Seaver explained that Dolly had asked him years earlier to deliver this announcement, long before he had fully understood that the moment would one day become real. He had worked as her head of security for more than two decades, taking over a position previously held by his father, Larry. Although he had often imagined how heavy the responsibility might feel, he said the true weight had not reached him until now.
He described the task as an honor filled with both immense pride and profound sorrow. Yet, he said, the sadness belonged to those left behind rather than to Dolly. In his words, she had lived in the light and was now with Jesus, surely welcomed by Carl, her parents, and the many loved ones who had gone before her.
Parton’s representatives confirmed to PEOPLE that she died after a brief fight with cancer. They did not reveal which type of cancer she had faced.
“I will always love her”
As tributes to Dolly continued arriving from around the globe, Miley Cyrus turned to Instagram to remember the woman she had loved and known since birth.
Cyrus wrote that the pain of losing her Aunt Dolly felt too profound to fully share publicly. She said their most precious memories had been private and would remain that way—away from the spotlight, beneath the glamour, and held between their hearts.
She added that she knew Dolly would want her to experience the grief, turn it into a song, and then keep moving forward with strength. Miley said she had always had an angel beside her and still did. She also recalled that one of their final conversations centered on music and transformation.
Closing her message, Cyrus said she would love Dolly forever and hoped to continue making her proud. Her heart, she wrote, was broken for the world and for Dolly’s relatives and friends, all of whom would miss her deeply. She reminded mourners that they were sharing this loss together and would continue seeing Dolly reflected in life’s most beautiful things.
Rest peacefully, Dolly. You will never be forgotten.
