Even fans know that Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus treat each other like family, but now it’s official—they’re actually related!
The country queen, 78, recently discovered that her bond with the young pop diva goes beyond that of just a godmother and goddaughter.
During an Access Hollywood segment, Dolly was told that she and the Flowers singer share a common ancestor from Virginia.
Highlights
- Dolly Parton discovered she is biologically related to Miley Cyrus.
- Their common ancestor, John Brickey, was born in 1740 in Virginia and lived in Tennessee until his passing in 1806.
- The revelation was made known to Dolly Parton during an Access Hollywood segment while promoting her new cookbook.
- Both singers share a mother-daughter-like bond and have spoken fondly about their close relationship.
“Is that true? That’s amazing!" the Tennessee singer said.
Dolly Parton was recently told during an Access Hollywood segment that she and Miley Cyrus were officially related
Image credits: Vijat Mohindra/NBC via Getty Images
Image credits: Dolly Parton
Ancestry confirmed in a report this week that the two singers are seventh cousins, once removed. Their common ancestor is John Brickey of Virginia, who is Dolly’s sixth great-grandfather and Miley’s seventh great-grandfather.
The country music icon was told about the revelation while she was promoting her new cookbook, Good Lookin' Cookin, which she co-authored with her sister, Rachel.
“Well, we’re so close, Miley and I, I thought we would have been at least third cousins, ten times removed,” she said.
Apart from collaborating with the 31-year-old pop singer for music projects, the country legend has also appeared on a few episodes of Disney Channel's hit sitcom Hannah Montana
“I’m sure she'll get a kick out of that, but it doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family,” she added.
Ancestry also revealed that the Brickey family has its roots all the way in France, and it was in the 1600s when one of the ancestors moved to the U.S.
John, who is the shared ancestor between the two Grammy-winning singers, was born in 1740 in Virginia and had later moved with his wife and children to Blount County, Tennessee, where he lived until his passing in 1806.
"It doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family,” the Tennessee music icon said after discovering they were seventh cousins, once removed
“Parton might sometimes be referred to as ‘Aunt Dolly’ or ‘Miley’s fairy godmother,’ but in reality, the two Jolene singers share a common ancestor from Tennessee - Dolly’s 6th great-grandfather and Miley’s 7th great-grandfather - making them seventh cousins, once removed,” Ancestry wrote in a social media post.
“Perhaps they’ve subconsciously known they were related all along!” the post continued. “Who would have thought there would be so much music within this Smoky Mountain DNA?!”
Both Dolly and Miley have spoken fondly about each other on several occasions in the past and share a mother-daughter like bond with each other.
Ancestry revealed that the two singers had a common ancestor named John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740
Image credits: Ancestry
“Dolly’s been like a mother to me. Actually, I was just reading this fax that she sent me two Mother’s Days ago…” the Wrecking Ball singer told W Magazine in June this year.
“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,” she continued. “I just love her so much. Last Christmas, she gave me a whole mannequin, done in her proportions and wearing her outfit. It’s so major.”
“We really have a true bond, she is like a daughter or a sister to me," Dolly has said in the past about her Grammy-winning goddaughter
On the other hand, the golden-haired singer gushed about her goddaughter, who was born to her old friend and fellow country musician Billy Ray Cyrus.
“I worked with her daddy Billy Ray when he had Achy Breaky Heart, we toured together for a few years and of course Miley became my goddaughter – I was her fairy godmother,” she said at a London press conference last year.
“We really have a true bond,” she added, “she is like a daughter or a sister to me.”