Dolly Parton celebrated her 74th birthday this past week, and fans flooded social media to share messages of love and support. The iconic country singer has garnered a huge following of loving fans over the decades, due to her unique style, genuine spirit, and kind nature. Among Parton's biggest fans is a notable figure: her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.
Cyrus shared some throwback videos on Instagram to celebrate her famous godmother. She captioned the collection, "Happy Birthday Aunt Dolly!!!!! ( . )( . )" The videos are from a 2017 appearance on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show, in which Cyrus posed as the country icon. Sporting a curly blonde wig, black dress, and some extra padding in the chest, Cyrus was a dead ringer for her godmother. She shared some clips of her getting ready in the dressing room, and then reenacted Parton's Grammy performance of "Islands in the Stream" with Jimmy Fallon, dressed as Kenny Rogers. Cyrus posted her version of the performance alongside the original 1983 recording, and it's shocking how much Cyrus embodies Parton.
While Cyrus has drawn a lot of criticism from the public over the years, Dolly Parton remains proud of her goddaughter's journey. Parton commented in an interview back in October that she's proud of Cyrus for "doing her thing." Parton gushed about Cyrus' talent and claimed, "Miley will be Miley."
In November, Parton opened up about their relationship and how the country legend is always striving to set an example for the young popstar. "I've told her some things that I think are valuable and that she uses, but I'd rather live an example," Parton explained. "[I'd rather] be an example rather than just try to tell somebody to do this, do that because I don't think that's right. Everybody's different."
Parton has stood by Cyrus throughout her Hannah Montana years, even guest starring on the show, and continues to stand by her as she faces criticism for her split from her husband, Liam Hemsworth.
Parton proves that family is forever as she continues to share love, support, and advice for her goddaughter. Such an incredible role model definitely deserves all the praise for her 74th birthday. We can't help but hope, maybe she'll adopt us as godchildren, too.