Billy Ray Cyrus shares Dolly Parton’s handwritten 1992 letter, calls it a 'prized possession'
LOS ANGELES: Billy Ray Cyrus shared a handwritten letter from Dolly Parton. On Friday, September 25, the country singer shared a photo of “one of my most prized possessions” on Instagram. The letter dates back to 1992, when Parton wrote to Cyrus earlier in his music career.
The letter serves as a testament to the close friendship the two developed after touring together and collaborating on songs for more than three decades. Cyrus also revealed what Parton did when she first met him in the letter.
Billy Ray Cyrus shares Dolly Parton’s rare 1992 letter
Cyrus shared the letter from the ‘9 to 5’ singer, which read, “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."
“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),” the letter continued. “They will love me for it. Same goes if you need anything. Love Dolly,” the letter concluded.
Cyrus, 65, described the handwritten letter, along with a letter from Johnny Cash, as one of his most prized possessions. He shared a lengthy note alongside photos of the letters. In the caption, he wrote, “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."
He wrote, “(Dolly Parton) 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.”
He continued, “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.”
Billy Ray Cyrus recalls decades-long friendship with Dolly Parton
Following her death in August, Cyrus shared a tribute to Parton on Instagram and recalled their decades-long friendship. The two became close after touring together in the 1990s. After his daughter Miley was born in 1992, Cyrus asked Parton to be her godmother.
“I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it’s hard to know where to start,” he wrote. “Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms.”
“In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize 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!’”
Cyrus concluded his message by noting that she had recently sent him “a beautiful message” telling him that she loved him with her “whole heart.” “I will always love her in the same way... with my whole heart... and I always will,” he wrote.
