5 hours ago
8
Elizabeth Hurley wished her boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus a happy birthday in a sweet post on Tuesday - just hours before he shared an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton after her death at 80.
The 61-year-old model and the Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker, 65, have been together since late 2024 and shocked the showbiz world with their unlikely relationship.
On Tuesday, just before the news broke that Dolly - a close friend of Billy - had died, Elizabeth wished him a happy birthday and shared a series of PDA-filled snaps of them together.
She penned in the caption: 'Happy Birthday to my beautiful boyfriend @billyraycyrus - May the next year be our best ever.'
The Instagram post was flooded with happy birthday messages from their friends and family.
Soon after Elizabeth's post, the news broke that Billy's close pal Dolly had sadly died.
Elizabeth Hurley wished her boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus a happy birthday in a sweet post on Tuesday - just hours before he shared an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton after her death at 80
Soon after Elizabeth's post, the news broke that Billy's close pal Dolly had sadly died (seen together in 2019)
Billy shared an emotional tribute to his friend and collaborator shortly after.
He previously toured and recorded with Parton and even named the late singer as the godmother to his daughter Miley.
'I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it's hard to know where to start. Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TVs, right in our living rooms,' he wrote.
The star then reflected on old tabloid rumors that he and Parton were having an affair while on tour together in the early '90s.
'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. In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, 'Honey, this trash sells records!'' he recalled.
Cyrus then revealed Parton's final words to him, writing, 'Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way ….. with my whole heart … and I always will.'
Just two hours before his eulogy to Parton, Cyrus posted a star-studded birthday tribute to himself.
In the celebratory clip, his daughters Miley and her sister Noah, his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, and a number of other celebrities including Lil Nas X, Shania Twain, Diplo, Dennis Quaid and others wish the Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker a happy 65th birthday.
Fans in the comments section were confused by the timing of the post, with many reasoning that Cyrus must not have received the sad news of Parton's passing when the video was posted.
'I don't think he knows,' commented one fan, while another wrote, 'It was probably a scheduled post.'
Dolly and Billy previously toured together and were falsely rumored to have had an affair in 1992
Billy was a longtime friend of Dolly's and even named the late singer as the godmother to his daughter Miley
'He knows. Trust me he knows. The guy is most likely in shock,' wrote a third.
Another commented, 'What a coincidence to die on the same day as Billy's birthday.'
Cyrus and Parton first became friends in the early '90s when he opened for the Jolene songstress shortly after the release of his breakout hit Achy Breaky Heart.
The crooner welcomed daughter Miley in 1992 and named Parton as her godmother.
In 1993, Cyrus and Parton capitalised on the publicity surrounding their friendship by releasing a song together, Romeo, which reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The legendary country singer's death was confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram video posted by her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also acted as her head of security.
She died Tuesday morning at age 80 after being admitted Friday to Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney problems, according to TMZ.
Parton's loved ones began racing to Nashville upon hearing news of her hospitalization, but not all were able to reach her while she was alive.
'This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,' Seaver said.
He hailed his aunt for having 'lived in the light' and said she was now 'in the arms of Jesus' and the company of her late husband Carl Dean, as well as her parents and 'countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens'.
Parton, who is often referred to as the Queen of Country, enjoyed an illustrious music career that spanned an incredible six decades and was arguably best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5.
Her passing came after months of health woes that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling fan fears for her wellbeing.
Family insiders indicated that a private service for close friends and relations will be held in Nashville within the next few days.
In an interview published just four days before her death, Parton had declared she still had 'so many things I want to achieve' and vowed to continue 'working as long as I can to see everything come to life', via People.
She explained that she had been grappling with 'some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl'.
English (US) ·