Billy Ray Cyrus Shares Rare Photos of Daughter Miley Cyrus in Sweet Birthday Tribute: ‘Hope It’s the Best One Ever!’
“Happy Birthday Mile,” he said on Instagram, noting he left off the “y” because he’s called her Mile for “most of her life”
Billy Ray Cyrus is taking a walk down memory lane to celebrate daughter Miley Cyrus’ birthday.
The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer, 63, shared a tribute on Instagram filled with photos of the father-daughter duo over the years as Miley celebrated her 32nd birthday on Saturday, Nov. 23.
He opened the post with a snap of himself holding a baby Miley in his arms as he gazed down lovingly at her, followed by a photo of her as a toddler holding on to his jacket as he held her in his arms. Additional photos showed the pair performing together and posing together during a Hannah Montana event.
The final photo showed a more recent black and white picture of the two. The “Flowers” singer could be seen wrapping her arms around her father in a hug as he looked toward the camera.
Related: All About Miley Cyrus' Famous Parents, Dad Billy Ray and Mom Tish
“Happy Birthday Mile !!! Hope it’s the best one ever!” he captioned the post, adding, “I know I dropped the ‘y.’ That’s what I called @mileycyrus most of her life. ❤️.”
Miley shared her own appreciation to everyone who wished her a “Happy Birthday” on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Thank you all for the birthday wishes.”
“My gift to my fans is celebrating my 6 million plaques with you,” she added alongside a photo of herself posing in a black vest and pants with shades on. Behind her, the number six could be seen on the wall.
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In June, Miley opened up about her relationship with her father on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman amid a rumored family rift that allegedly began shortly after her mother Tish, 57, filed for divorce from Billy Ray in April 2022, and after she noticeably omitted her dad from her acceptance speech at the Grammys in February .
"I'm grateful for being able to watch him ahead of me. He's almost given me this map. And there's a map of what to do and what not to do, and he's guided me on both," she said of her country singer father. "I also inherited the narcissism from [him].”
She noted that her father “grew up very poor in a very small town" and had a “rough childhood” — which shaped who he was.
"So I think a lot of his perspective on reality and on life, I've inherited from him, more so than the way that I was raised — which really, my mom raised me ... Honestly, my mom is my hero," the singer continued. Though she also noted she had “a lot of empathy and compassion” for her dad’s childhood, “which obviously developed to create the man he is now that I have a lot of love for."
Letterman, 77, then inquired about the rumored rifts. "There's not estrangement here with your father," he said, "it's just the way things are played?"
"Yeah," Miley said. "I think, what is so beautiful is that my parents, they served their children, and I know this. My parents served us and sacrificed so much for us. Anything we dreamed of, they made possible."