Trace Cyrus, as a child, wanted to be just like dad Billy Ray Cyrus growing up. Nowadays, he says, he can “barely recognize” his father as someone he once thought was “the coolest person ever.”
The younger Cyrus, whose sisters are pop stars Miley Cyrus and Noah Cyrus, expressed his complex emotions about the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer Wednesday on Instagram. The emotional open letter said he and his sisters “have been genuinely worried about” their father for years and claimed “you’ve pushed all of us away.”
Billy Ray Cyrus shares five children with ex-wife Tish Cyrus-Purcell: adoptive kids Trace and Brandi (whom Tish welcomed with her first husband, Baxter Neal Helson), plus Miley, Braison and Noah. He is also the father of Christopher Cody Cyrus, whom he welcomed with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey in 1992. Billy Ray and Tish were married from 1993 to 2022.
Trace Cyrus, 35, claimed Wednesday that his 63-year-old dad has not been present for Noah (“She deserves better”) and that his loved ones have been “hanging onto memories” and holding out hope that “the man we once knew” would return.
“You’re not healthy Dad & everyone is noticing it,” Trace Cyrus continued.
He added: “I hope you realize this message only comes from a place of love and also fear that the world may lose you far too soon.”
Beyond airing out his and his family’s grievances, Trace Cyrus seemingly offered a helping hand to his estranged father who he suspects is going through his own personal issues.
“I’d love to help you if you would open up and receive the help,” wrote Trace, who said he has been alcohol-free for more than a year.
Representatives for Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus and Noah Cyrus did not respond immediately to The Times’ request for comment.
Trace Cyrus shared his statement days after his father performed at President Trump’s Liberty Ball on Monday. The elder Cyrus kicked off his Inauguration Day set shakily singing along to both his verse and rapper Lil Nas X’s part on their 2019 hit “Old Town Road,” though his vocals were noticeably drowned out by the music video that played in its entirety in the background. At one point he had paused — then restarted — his singing to sync with the video.
“I think y’all was just getting warmed up, to be honest,” he told attendees, before performing the “Old Town Road” chorus on repeat for just short of 30 seconds.
He admitted: “They told me to kill as much time as possible.”
Billy Ray Cyrus, after addressing several technical difficulties, concluded his set by singing a minute-long portion of “Achy Breaky Heart,” a nearly 3½-minute song, a capella. On Instagram, he dubbed the final part of his performance “the most fun part” of the Monday ball.
