Miley Cyrus praises godmother Dolly Parton, calling her an 'angel'

'Angel by my side' - Miley Cyrus pays tribute to godmother Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus facing each other, both singing into microphones on stage

Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Sir Paul McCartney have led an outpouring of tributes from celebrities and fans to Dolly Parton following the music icon's death at the age of 80.

Cyrus paid an emotional tribute to her godmother, "Aunt Dolly", describing her as an "angel by my side". She wrote on Instagram: "I will always love her and want to make her proud."

The Tennessee-born singer died on Tuesday after "a brief battle with cancer", her team said in a statement.

Parton is known for iconic songs including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You. She was also a philanthropist, who helped fund one of the first Covid-19 vaccines and poured millions into improving children's literacy.

Miley Cyrus, also born in Tennessee, added: "Our most sacred moments were private and they'll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour and between our hearts.

"What I know is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong."

Her father and Parton's close friend Billy Ray Cyrus remembered the music icon as being "part of our lives, on our TVs, right in our living rooms".

"I have so many moments and memories with Dolly, it's hard to know where to start," he said. "Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton."

He recounted a time when he had to apologise to Parton for tabloid rumours which claimed they were having an affair.

"In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said: 'Honey, this trash sells records!'"

Sir Elton John and Parton performed together in 2005 at the Country Music Association Awards

Taylor Swift, who began her professional career in country music as a teen in Nashville, paid tribute to Parton's "true grace and true grit, all in one dazzling person".

"A world without Dolly doesn't feel possible, real, or right," the superstar said in a statement. "But because of the eternally generous way she spent her time on this earth and the countless lives she changed for the better, her legacy will be an everlasting one."

As well as "melodies and lyrics she wrote that thawed even the coldest of hearts", Swift acknowledged "the millions of books she provided children all over the world so that they might fall in love with stories the way she did".

She thanked Parton "for the tightropes she walked so that young girls like me could grow up dreaming of joining the circus too".

Sir Paul McCartney reflected on his history with Parton, which began when he met her in Nashville at the Grande Ole Opry just before she started her solo musical career.