Billy Ray Cyrus Reveals He Learned His Father Died While Filming Hannah Montana With Miley — And Finished the Scene Anyway

Some moments on set become more than just television history — they become family history too. In a new PEOPLE cover story marking the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana, Billy Ray Cyrus, 64, opened up about one of the most emotionally complex days of his career — the day he learned his father had died, right in the middle of filming one of the show’s most beloved episodes.

A Devastating Phone Call During a Joyful Scene

The timing, Cyrus explains, was almost impossible to process. As Hannah Montana was getting off the ground in 2006, the cast and crew were filming Episode 12 — the now-iconic “I Want My Mullet Back” segment, a song Cyrus says has become just as massive worldwide as “Achy Breaky Heart” or “Old Town Road.”

In the middle of shooting that scene, Disney called a sudden time-out. Cyrus was pulled aside and told that his father, Ron Cyrus — known to Miley as “Pappy” — had passed away. Ron had only managed to see a handful of episodes of the show before his death, but Cyrus says his father had already heard an early demo of “I Want My Mullet Back” and loved it.

“What Would Pappy Say?”

Faced with the impossible question of what to do next, Cyrus turned to his daughter for guidance. He asked Miley what she wanted to do — and her response became the moment that defined the rest of that day.

“She said, ‘What would Pappy say?'” Cyrus recalls. His answer came quickly: “The show must go on. Me and you get up there, let’s do our song and then we’ll go home and bury him.”

The pair filmed the scene in a single take, then headed straight to the airport.

A Farm in Tennessee That Became a Movie Set

The PEOPLE feature also took Cyrus back to his own property outside Nashville, Tennessee, where much of 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie was filmed during the show’s fourth season. Walking the land for his cover photoshoot, Cyrus pointed out specific filming locations from the movie — including the open field where Miley’s character famously rode her horse, Blue Jeans.

What many fans may not know is that Disney originally wanted to shoot the film in Louisiana. Cyrus says he made the case for Tennessee instead, arguing that if the story was about Miley’s character returning home to the South, the production needed to actually be there.

“I said, ‘Hey guys, look, this would be great if Miley really did come to Tennessee. She ain’t even going to have to be acting,'” Cyrus remembers telling Disney executives. After reviewing photographs of the Tennessee landscape, the studio agreed — and Tennessee ultimately won the production over Louisiana, securing the movie’s filming location.

A Family Milestone Year

The 20th anniversary arrives during what Cyrus describes as an especially meaningful chapter for the family. Miley Cyrus recently received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 22, an honor that brought its own emotional callback to her father.

During her induction speech, Miley credited her father with a lesson that stuck with her for years: that a skyscraper — and a star on the Walk of Fame — doesn’t come from force, but from repetition. “What feels so special to me about this star is that it’s an accumulation of devotion,” she said.

Cyrus admitted the moment caught him off guard. “Miley reminded me that every skyscraper starts with a jackhammer — because that’s what she said that she had learned that from me. I needed to be reminded,” he said. “I just thought it was beautiful.”

New Music With the Whole Family

Adding to the celebration, Cyrus is preparing to release The Hill, his first new album in nearly a decade, arriving June 16. His son Braison Cyrus produced and co-wrote the record, while daughter Noah Cyrus joins him for a duet on the track “On Our Way Along.”

Looking back on the earliest days of Hannah Montana, Cyrus also shared a smaller, quieter memory — sneaking out with Miley to walk down Hollywood Boulevard, looking at the stars on the sidewalk and browsing T-shirt shops selling Marilyn Monroe merchandise.

Two decades later, between the anniversary, Miley’s Walk of Fame star, and a new family album, Cyrus says the timing feels like more than coincidence. “It’s just a great celebration of our family.”