Dolly Parton recently discovered her familial connection to her pop star goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, during an Access Hollywood segment.
With assistance from Ancestry, Parton found out that she and Cyrus are seventh cousins, once removed, linked through John Brickey of Virginia, who is Parton’s sixth great-grandfather and Cyrus’ seventh great-grandfather.
“Is that true? That’s amazing!” Parton remarked. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled, but it doesn’t surprise me because she feels like family.”
Brickey, who came from France, was born in 1740 in Virginia before relocating to Blount County, Tennessee, where he lived until his death in 1806, according to Ancestry. Both artists have roots in Tennessee.
Parton, a longtime friend of Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, revealed in 2009 that she is Miley’s godmother. “I’ve known her since she was a baby,” she said then. “When she was born, her father insisted that I be her godmother, and I accepted. We never had a formal ceremony, but I’m so proud of her and love her. She feels like one of my own.”
The two have worked together on several occasions. Parton made guest appearances in Cyrus’ Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, portraying the godmother of Cyrus’ character. Additionally, Parton featured in Cyrus’ song “Rainbowland” from her 2017 album Younger Now, and they frequently cover each other’s music, including Cyrus’ rendition of “Jolene” and Parton’s “Wrecking Ball.”
In a June interview with W Magazine, Cyrus expressed her affection for Parton, stating, “Dolly’s been like a mother to me,” and reminisced about a heartfelt fax Parton sent her for Mother’s Day: “Dolly wrote to me to say: ‘How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach.’ It gets me choked up. I just love her so much. Last Christmas, she gave me a mannequin made to her proportions, dressed in her outfit. It’s so major.”
