Billy Ray Cyrus shares 1992 handwritten note from Dolly Parton
Billy Ray Cyrus has shared a handwritten note Dolly Parton sent him in 1992, calling it one of his most prized possessions. He posted a photo of the note on Instagram for the 25 September celebration of Dolly Parton Day tied to “9 to 5.” Billboard reported the post on 28 September.
Cyrus said the note sits right beside another keepsake he shared earlier, a handwritten letter from Johnny Cash. His post also included a photo of him and Parton sitting cheek-to-cheek.
The note is written on flowery stationery in looping cursive. It opens with a simple hello. “Billy, I am glad to be working with you. I've been looking forward to it for a few weeks now.”
Parton then offered encouragement to the newcomer. “I'm proud of what's going on with you. I too think you are special! I wish you even more success in the years to come.” She also joked about their first meeting. “I'm sorry if I stammered and stuttered when I met you, but I'm just like all the other girls these days (Just a little older! Ha!)”
She closed with thanks and an open offer of help. “Thanks for the offer to sign pictures for my gang — your fans! They will love me for it. Same goes if you need anything. Love, Dolly.”
Cyrus said Parton sent the letter a few weeks after they first met in Chicago in the spring of 1992. It arrived just as his breakthrough song “Achy Breaky Heart” was starting to climb the charts. People also reported the letter as an early-career message from 1992.
Work followed quickly. In January 1993, Cyrus said, he and Parton sang “Romeo” together alongside Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
The friendship lasted well beyond that start. Parton is godmother to Cyrus’s daughter Miley Cyrus. More than 30 years after that first meeting in Chicago, Cyrus said, he and Parton recorded their last song together, “Christmas Where We Are.”
Cyrus has spoken about what that long connection means to him. He now refers to life as “A.D.” for “After Dolly,” according to People. The outlet also noted his tribute recalling their decades-long friendship and that 1992 encounter.
What makes this stand out is the object itself. A short letter on paper, kept for more than three decades beside a note from Cash. For fans, it is a chance to see Parton’s humour and generosity in her own hand.
