Billy Ray, the father of Dolly’s goddaughter Miley, had decades of memories with her, but one of their final private exchanges now carries a completely different weight.

He said she was simply always there, on television, in living rooms, part of the background of everyday American life. Their real bond, though, traces back to a single afternoon in 1992. Billy Ray recalled walking into Dolly’s dressing room that year specifically to apologize.

In the studio: Dolly Parton smiles as she shares a microphone with Billy Ray Cyrus during a recording session in this vintage black and white photograph. | Source: Facebook/BillyRayCyrus
In the studio: Dolly Parton smiles as she shares a microphone with Billy Ray Cyrus during a recording session in this vintage black and white photograph. | Source: Facebook/BillyRayCyrus

Tabloids at the time were running stories claiming the two country stars were having an affair. Billy Ray said he felt he owed her a direct apology for the gossip attached to her name.

Dolly’s response became the story he still tells. According to Billy Ray, she simply looked at him, winked, and said, “Honey, this trash sells records!”Geographic Reference

A candid, color photograph shows a younger Billy Ray Cyrus sporting his famous mullet in a denim shirt, leaning in close with Dolly Parton, who looks bright in a yellow outfit. | Source: Facebook/BillyRayCyrus
A candid, color photograph shows a younger Billy Ray Cyrus sporting his famous mullet in a denim shirt, leaning in close with Dolly Parton, who looks bright in a yellow outfit. | Source: Facebook/BillyRayCyrus

That single line, delivered without a hint of anger, set the tone for the rest of their relationship. It became, in Billy Ray’s telling, the defining memory of who Dolly was: unbothered by scandal and endlessly generous with her humor.