Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus‘ bond runs deep.
The country superstar is not only the “Flowers” singer’s godmother but she’s long been Miley’s industry mentor. And even more recently, she learned they are actually biologically related.
“Is that true? That’s amazing!” Parton exclaimed in an interview with Access Hollywood published Sept 23 after learning Ancestry.com confirmed the relation. “Well, we’re so close, Miley and I, I thought we would have been at least third cousins, ten times removed.”
In reality, the duo, according to the ancestry site, are seventh cousins, once removed. Noting that the Hannah Montana star would “get a kick out of” learning about their connection, Parton added, “But it doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family.”
According to the ancestry records, the two music superstars share a mutual great grandfather named John Brickley, who lived in Blunt County, Tennessee—about 20 miles from Dollywood—in the early 1800s.
