Billy Ray Cyrus is looking back at one of his most special memories with Dolly Parton, and this time, he has shared something he had kept private for more than three decades. On Friday, September 25, the country singer posted a photo of a handwritten letter Dolly Parton gave him in 1992, shortly after the two first met in Chicago. For Cyrus, the note is much more than an old letter. He called it one of his “most prized possessions” and said it sits beside a handwritten letter he had received from another country music legend, Johnny Cash.
What did Dolly Parton write in the letter to Billy Ray Cyrus?
Dolly Parton’s letter dates back to the early days of Cyrus’ career, when his breakthrough song ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ was beginning to take off. In the note, Parton congratulated him and told him she was proud of his career progress. She also had a rather unexpected confession about their first meeting.“Billy, I’m glad to be working with you. I’ve been looking forward to it for a few weeks now. I’m proud of what’s going on with you. I too think you are special. I wish you even more in the years to come,” wrote the beloved star before adding, “I’m sorry I stammered and blushed when I met you but I’m just like all the other girls these days (just a little older).”“They will love me for it. Same goes if you need anything. “Love, Dolly,” the letter concluded. Cyrus shared the note on Instagram and explained that Parton had given it to him only a few weeks after they first met in Chicago in the spring of 1992.
Billy Ray Cyrus remembers meeting Dolly Parton in 1992
Cyrus was still at the beginning of his rise when he met Parton. As he explained in his Instagram post, ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ was only starting to become a hit, while his album ‘Some Gave All’ had not even been released.That first meeting eventually turned into a friendship that lasted for more than 30 years. Cyrus recalled that not long after receiving Parton’s letter, the two would sing together on ‘Romeo’, alongside Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Their collaborations continued over the years, including television appearances and the Disney series ‘Hannah Montana’, where Parton became known to a new generation as Aunt Dolly.Their final musical collaboration came decades later with the Christmas song ‘Christmas Where We Are’.His exact caption read, “Never have I shared this… until now. I’ve posted one of my most prized possessions before: a handwritten letter from Johnny Cash. This one sits right beside it. To me they go together … Brother Cash and Sister Parton. They are the hearts and minds of two of my heroes that both took the time to express their most personal and sincere thoughts to an ole Kentucky Boy. @dollyparton gave it to me a few weeks after we first met in Chicago in the spring of 1992. “Achy Breaky Heart” was just beginning to take off and Some Gave All hadn’t even been released yet. And soon after I received this letter, we’d go on to sing “Romeo” together with Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea and Mary Chapin Carpenter. So many memories and moments with Dolly, from network television specials to Hannah Montana. More than 30 years later, we’d do our last song together, “Christmas Where We Are.” Today felt like the right day to share it. Shine on, Dolly.”
Dolly Parton was Miley Cyrus’ godmother
The connection between Dolly Parton and the Cyrus family eventually became much more personal. After Miley Cyrus was born in 1992, Billy Ray asked Parton to be her godmother. Parton remained a major presence in Miley’s life and later appeared alongside her on ‘Hannah Montana’ and worked with her on music.Billy Ray has often spoken about how much Parton meant to his family, but their friendship was not always free from tabloid attention.
Billy Ray Cyrus once recalled Dolly Parton’s response to affair rumours
In a tribute shared on Instagram after Parton’s demise, Cyrus remembered one particularly funny moment from the early days of their friendship. Tabloid reports claimed the two were having an affair. Cyrus said he eventually went to Parton’s dressing room to apologise for the stories.Her reaction was very Dolly. “In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologise for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her,” he wrote. “In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, ‘Honey, this trash sells records!’”For Cyrus, that memory captured the kind of person Parton was to him, warm, funny and completely unbothered by the noise around her. He also revealed in that tribute that Parton had recently sent him a message telling him that she loved him with her “whole heart.”
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