Some dates become important because of one unforgettable moment.
For Miley Cyrus, August 25 has somehow become connected to several of them.
On August 25, 2013, Miley released one of the most defining songs of her career: “Wrecking Ball.” The song would become her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and help permanently separate the adult Miley Cyrus from the Disney image millions had grown up watching. (Apple Music – Web Player)
Ten years later, Dolly Parton — Miley’s beloved godmother — decided she wanted to record that very song.
And then came the coincidence no one could have anticipated.
On August 25, 2026, exactly 13 years after the song’s original release, Dolly Parton died at the age of 80. (EW.com)
Suddenly, a date already woven into Miley’s life carried an entirely different meaning.
August 25, 2013 changed Miley’s career
It’s difficult to remember just how dramatic Miley Cyrus’s transformation seemed in 2013.
For years, millions of children had known her as Hannah Montana.
Then came Bangerz.
Miley cut her hair, changed her sound and deliberately dismantled expectations about who she was supposed to be.
August 25 became a pivotal date.
That night, Miley took the stage with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards for a performance that immediately became one of the year’s biggest pop-culture controversies.
On that same date, “Wrecking Ball” was released as a single. (Cosmopolitan)
Miley later described August 25 as significant in the story of her career.
But there was already another reason the date mattered.
August 25 was her father’s birthday
Billy Ray Cyrus was born on August 25, 1961.
So long before Bangerz, “Wrecking Ball” or the VMAs, August 25 was already a family date for Miley. (Cosmopolitan)
Then 2013 layered two enormous career moments onto it.
And years later, Dolly would become part of the story too.
Dolly wasn’t Miley’s biological aunt — but their relationship went far beyond a Hollywood friendship
Dolly had known Miley essentially all her life.
Her friendship with Billy Ray began around the time “Achy Breaky Heart” transformed him into a country star in the early 1990s.
When Miley was born, Billy Ray asked Dolly to become her godmother.
Dolly accepted.
Miley would eventually call her “Aunt Dolly.” (People.com)
As Miley grew up, Dolly became something unusual: part family member, part mentor and part fellow performer.
When Miley starred in Hannah Montana, Dolly appeared as Aunt Dolly.
When Miley entered more controversial periods of her career, Dolly repeatedly defended her.
And as Miley became an established artist in her own right, their relationship increasingly became one between two musicians who deeply respected each other’s work.
Then Dolly heard “Wrecking Ball”
Dolly’s reaction to Miley’s song was surprisingly emotional.
She later recalled hearing “Wrecking Ball” while driving and being overwhelmed by it.
She said the chorus hit her so powerfully that she knew she wanted the song for the rock album she was planning.
But there was one condition:
Miley had to sing it with her. (ABC News)
The decision created an extraordinary musical full-circle moment.
A song associated with Miley breaking away from her childhood identity was being reinterpreted by the woman who had watched her grow up.
Their version became much more than a cover
Before the studio recording arrived, Miley and Dolly had already performed “Wrecking Ball” together during Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party as they welcomed 2023.
They blended it with Dolly’s own classic “I Will Always Love You.” (NME)
Later that year, Dolly recorded “Wrecking Ball” for her rock album Rockstar, with Miley joining her on vocals.
The duet was released in October 2023. (The Dolly Parton Discography)
And Dolly added a particularly meaningful touch.
Toward the end of her rendition, “Wrecking Ball” transitions into a reference to “I Will Always Love You.” (American Songwriter)
At the time, it was simply a beautiful way of connecting two famous songs belonging to two generations of performers.
After Dolly’s death, it inevitably sounds different.
Then August 25 appeared again
Thirteen years passed after Miley’s original “Wrecking Ball” release.
Then, on August 25, 2026, news came that Dolly Parton had died following a brief battle with cancer.
She was 80. (EW.com)
For Miley, the loss wasn’t simply the death of a musical icon.
She had lost the woman she had known since childhood.
Her godmother.
Her mentor.
Her collaborator.
Her “Aunt Dolly.”
And it happened on a date that was already permanently written into Miley’s personal history.
Miley’s tribute revealed what Dolly would have wanted
The following day, Miley broke her silence.
She explained that some of her most precious memories with Dolly were private and would remain that way.
She also revealed something about one of their final conversations.
They had talked about music and metamorphosis — two ideas that had defined much of Miley’s own journey.
And Miley said she knew how Dolly would expect her to handle grief:
Feel it.
Turn it into music.
Then keep going and remain strong. (People.com)
Miley also described Dolly as an angel who would remain beside her.
For someone whose relationship with her godmother had been so intertwined with music, the message was painfully appropriate.
“Wrecking Ball” now carries another memory
Songs change as our lives change.
A breakup song can become nostalgic.
A song associated with youth can suddenly transport someone back decades.
And a duet recorded while two people were alive can feel completely different after one of them is gone.
“Wrecking Ball” began as one of Miley’s defining solo records.
A decade later, Dolly made it something they shared.
Now the date attached to its original release is also attached to Dolly’s death.
There is no mysterious causal connection here.
It’s simply a coincidence.
But it’s an unusually poignant one.
One date. Three completely different chapters.
Look at Miley’s timeline and August 25 now carries several meanings.
August 25, 1961: her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, was born.
August 25, 2013: “Wrecking Ball” was released, while Miley delivered the VMAs performance that became one of the defining moments of her career.
Years later, Dolly took that same song and recorded it with Miley, eventually weaving “I Will Always Love You” into their version.
Then:
August 25, 2026: Dolly died.
Thirteen years to the day after “Wrecking Ball” entered Miley’s story, the woman who would eventually sing it beside her was gone. (Cosmopolitan)
And perhaps the most emotional part isn’t the coincidence at all.
It’s what Dolly had already helped Miley put on record years before:
a song about something crashing down — ending with a reminder of a love that remains.
If you’re still reeling from these strange occurrences, you might be interested in another uncanny shared date between Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Or, for more on Dolly’s incredible spirit, read about the extraordinary offer she made to doctors when she knew her time was running out.
