Dolly Parton Helped Miley Cyrus and Dad Billy Ray ‘Patch Things Up’ Before Losing Her Cancer Battle

Miley Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, are in deep mourning over Dolly Parton‘s tragic death — and a source tells Examiner that they’re totally committed to honoring her last wishes, which included putting aside the fighting that’s torn their family apart in recent years.

“Dolly was a guiding light for the both of them,” says the source. “No matter what they were struggling with, she always showed them so much love and compassion.”

Billy Ray, 65, became good friends with Parton, 80, after they toured together in the ’90s and when he and then-girlfriend Tish Cyrus were expecting Miley, he asked the country star to be her godmother. “I said, ‘Well, I’d be honored,'” Parton recalled on The Howard Stern Show in 2023. “Miley and I took over from there, and we’ve just stayed very, very close.”

“She was a huge force in encouraging [Miley’s] sobriety,” adds the source. “The same goes for Billy Ray. She gave him tough love when he needed it but also a whole lot of understanding.”

Parton also “played a big part in helping” Billy Ray and Miley, 33, “patch things up” when their relationship hit “rock bottom,” Examiner‘s source reveals.

“Dolly had so much love for the whole family,” says the source, including the pop star’s siblings Brandi, 38, Trace, 37, Christopher, 33, Braison, 31, and Noah, 26. “Out of all the kids, she was the closest to Miley, but she adored her sisters and brothers too.”

The “Jolene” singer, who died on Tuesday, August 25 following a brief battle with cancer, “wanted them all to be happy and healthy,” the source notes. “And now that she’s passed on, both Miley and Billy Ray have promised that they will continue to live their lives in a way that would make her proud.”