Tragic Details About Miley Cyrus' Life

The following article contains mentions of mental health and addiction issues.

In 2006, "Hannah Montana" premiered on Disney Channel, featuring Miley Cyrus as a teenage pop star who struggles to balance school, fame, and her secret identity. It quickly became clear that she was going to be huge, and her stardom continued to grow throughout four seasons, a movie, and the "Best of Both Worlds" tour. Eventually, Cyrus had a stunning transformation, and she split away from her Disney star image in favor of a more rebellious and free-spirited persona. The "We Can't Stop" singer was finally free to mold her own career and life.

However, not everything worked out that smoothly for Cyrus, and she endured a number of hurdles along the way. From grappling with her childhood stardom to facing scrutiny, health issues, personal losses, and more, her life has been far from easy. Here are the tragic details about Cyrus' life and how she's managed to overcome many of them with grace.

Every young Disney Channel fan likely would have given their right arm to play a pop star on television back in the day. However, little did they know that playing "Hannah Montana" actually made Miley Cyrus feel insecure, and it wasn't all glitz and glamor. According to the "See You Again" singer, her experience on the sitcom gave her major body image issues.

As Cyrus explained to Marie Claire in August 2015, "From the time I was 11, it was, 'You're a pop star! That means you have to be blonde, and you have to have long hair, and you have to put on some glittery tight thing.'" The pressure to look perfect at all times not only started young, but it persisted for years. "I'm this fragile little girl playing a 16-year-old in a wig and a ton of makeup," Cyrus continued, comparing her time on "Hannah Montana" to being in a child beauty pageant. She added, "I had f***ing flippers," referring to the false teeth worn by the contestants on "Toddlers & Tiaras."

Even after the show ended in 2011, Cyrus continued to struggle with her self-image. "I was made to look like someone that I wasn't, which probably caused some body dysmorphia because I had been made pretty every day for so long," she remarked.

Some child stars struggle to shed their innocent personas as they grow up, but Miley Cyrus became nigh unrecognizable after a dramatic transformation following her departure from the Disney Channel. She was just 13 years old when "Hannah Montana" premiered, and she had turned 18 by the time the final episode aired. Throughout this time, the "7 Things" singer had very little say over what she was allowed to do as an artist, as she explained during a December 2018 conversation with Kiss FM. "There [were] a lot of people in my life that had a lot of impact and influence over what I would do," she said, adding that it was "a lot of men in suits" who made decisions about her image.

Because Cyrus had a reputation to uphold for all her young fans, she was held to extremely high standards. When she was 16 years old, a video was leaked of her smoking salvia from a bong, costing her a multi-million dollar deal with Walmart. A couple of years later, a photo of Cyrus posing with an erotic cake circled the internet, and she in turn lost out on a role in "Hotel Transylvania." While appearing on the "Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky" podcast in June 2025, the star said, "I, as a joke, got my boyfriend a penis cake for his birthday and ... they fired me and replaced me because I had made an inappropriate adult joke. But I was 18."

Throughout their 28-year marriage, it's clear that Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus had their issues as a couple. They welcomed Miley Cyrus, their first child together, in 1992 and got married the following year. Tish and the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer had three more children together, but things took a turn when Billy Ray filed for divorce in October 2010. He and Tish reconciled temporarily — until she filed for divorce again in June 2013. The duo called off their split once more, but come 2020, the famous couple broke up yet again, with Tish filing for divorce for a final time in April 2022.

Even though Cyrus was an adult when her parents finally separated and found new partners, it was difficult for her to deal with at first. During her May 2025 interview with The New York Times, the singer said, "I think I took on some of my mom's hurt as my own because it hurt her more than it hurt me as an adult, and so I owned a lot of her pain." But now that both her parents have moved on, "I can love them both as individuals instead of as a parental pairing," Cyrus said. "I'm being an adult about it."

She's had so many eras in her career that Miley Cyrus was truly unrecognizable 10 years ago. In 2013, she released her fourth studio album "Bangerz," and with it, she debuted a scandalous new persona. Cyrus twerked on stage, wore revealing clothing, and rode nude atop a wrecking ball. While it was obviously freeing for her, the "Love Money Party" singer stated she now feels regretful about her behavior, which wasn't just widely publicized; it lives on forever on the internet.

During her conversation with Monica Lewinsky on the "Reclaiming" podcast, Cyrus revealed, "That was the time where I just got hit so hard, and I was so embarrassed." Her siblings were "humiliated" by her stunts, and her engagement to Liam Hemsworth ended. "I lost everything during that time in my personal life because of the choices I was making professionally," Cyrus said. "I was engaged at the time ― that didn't work out because I was sharing a part of myself that men wanted to be saved for them only." Even visiting her parents was difficult, as Cyrus added that she couldn't even look her dad in the eye without feeling "super embarrassed."

Having been thrust into the spotlight at such a young age, it isn't surprising that Miley Cyrus first started experiencing anxiety on the set of "Hannah Montana." As she explained during her Marie Claire interview in August 2015, "I would have anxiety attacks. I'd get hot flashes, feel like I was about to pass [out] or throw up." Cyrus was forced to cancel concerts because of the intensity of her anxiety, adding, "You get in this hole that seems like you're never going to be able to get out of."

In speaking with Elle in April 2014, Cyrus said that she also experienced depression throughout her life. She explained that the conversation around depression should be less taboo, but it's tricky because many people don't know how to talk about it. "It's totally okay to feel sad," Cyrus said. "I went through a time where I was really depressed. Like, I locked myself in my room and my dad had to break my door down." The singer went on to say her experience felt more chemically driven than circumstantial. "I'm the most anti-medication person, but some people need medicine, and there was a time where I needed some too."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Back in November 2018, the Woolsey fire broke out in Malibu and claimed nearly 500 homes, including Neil Young's, Gerard Butler's, and the house Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus shared. She was fortunate enough to be able to start over, but it was understandably devastating at the time. Amidst the more recent Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025, Cyrus shared a throwback photo on Instagram of the remains of her home. "It's a feeling you don't ever forget," she wrote. "Walking up to the door you would pass through daily, looking forward to being greeted by the ones you love like you always do but instead being met by a pile of ash and rubble."

Cyrus again addressed the loss of her home in May 2025, during a Q&A following the preview screening of her upcoming visual album "Something Beautiful" (via People). "When my house burned down, that was the biggest blessing I've ever had in my life, actually," the "Heart of Glass" singer said. "Losing everything and being able to rebuild, and to be able to be purposeful and choose every piece that I'm gonna collect or also just about the people in my life ... when my house burned down, a lot of my relationships also burned down, and that again just led me to such magic and to have so much gratitude."

When they met in 2009 on the set of "The Last Song," everyone thought Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth were endgame. They broke up twice in 2010 before getting engaged for the first time in 2012. Just a year later, the couple had called off their engagement, and they spent a couple of years apart, with both Hemsworth and Cyrus dating other people. In January 2016, they got back together and spent a couple of years engaged again until the Hollywood couple tied the knot in December 2018, just a month after losing their home in the Woolsey fire.

We all know how this story ends. Cyrus and Hemsworth ultimately split up after less than a year of marriage. According to the "Flowers" singer, during a conversation with Rolling Stone in December 2020, marrying the Australian actor was spurred on by the loss of their home. Cyrus described herself as drowning and clutching at whatever she could to save herself. "I think that's really what, ultimately, getting married was for me. One last attempt to save myself," the singer said.

For a while, a lot of Miley Cyrus' songs were about partying, taking drugs, and having fun — particularly during her "Bangerz" era. Around this time, she would spend thousands of dollars on drugs, but eventually decided in 2019 that she would be better off without the substances in her life.

However, as Cyrus recounted on "The Zane Lowe Show" in November 2020, she relapsed during the pandemic. "I, like a lot of people, being completely honest, during the pandemic, fell off," the "Midnight Sky" singer stated. Cyrus said that she wanted to be candid with her fans, and despite having a slip-up, she was again two weeks sober. When Zane Lowe asked why she felt sobriety was the right choice for her, she admitted that she can be very "impulsive" when she's had one too many drinks. "I'm not a moderation person. ... I don't have a problem with drinking," Cyrus explained. "I have a problem with the decisions I make once I go past that level of [intoxication]."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

From her beloved dog to her friend Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus has been devastated by many deaths in her life. But one loss seemed to cut especially deep for the "Slide Away" songstress: her grandmother Loretta Finley, whom she lovingly referred to as "Mammie." Cyrus' grandmother was 85 years old at the time of her death.

The pop star shared a touching Instagram tribute to her grandmother in August 2020, which included a few sweet photos and an old clip of Cyrus being interviewed about Finley at an event for "The Last Song." In the video, she referred to Finley as "the fiercest person I know," as well as her "inspiration" and "fashion icon." Alongside, Cyrus wrote, "I will keep your spirit here by continuing to do good for others and treating them the way we all desire to be treated. ... We will ache every day you are not with us."

Who could forget the two years Miley Cyrus hosted NBC's New Year's Eve coverage? Her second year saw the "Violet Chemistry" singer ring in 2023 with her godmother Dolly Parton. Throughout her life, Cyrus has endured a number of health issues, but one in particular undoubtedly made her "Miley's New Year's Eve Party" hosting gig a bit less celebratory.

While appearing again on "The Zane Lowe Show" in May 2025, the pop star recalled the frightening medical crisis she had while trying to amp up the audience for the midnight countdown. "I had a pretty traumatic experience ... when I was doing my New Year's show," she said. "I had a medical emergency. I had an ovarian cyst rupture." Although an ovarian cyst rupture isn't necessarily dangerous, it can be very painful, and there is a risk of further complications. "It was pretty traumatic because it was extremely excruciating and I did the show anyway," Cyrus continued, explaining that she hadn't realized what was going on with her body. "It was really, really hard on me."

As much as Miley Cyrus' style has evolved, so has her voice. When listening back to her earlier tracks, you can tell that her vocals weren't yet fully developed — especially when compared to her newer music, in which she displays a raspier sound. This is in part due to Cyrus' vocal disorder, known as Reinke's edema, which she first discovered after a bout of tonsillitis back in October 2019. The "Slide Away" songstress underwent surgery for the condition the following month, which was followed by several weeks of silence in order to recover.

Cyrus spoke about her condition during her 2025 appearance on "The Zane Lowe Show," stating, "Being 21 and staying up and drinking and smoking and partying after every show does not help. But also, in my case, it does not cause it." Cyrus went on to say that Reinke's edema is a part of her "unique anatomy" and it's the source of her characteristic raspiness.

While she acknowledged the disorder can make it harder to perform, she won't have a second surgery to correct it. "I'm not willing to sever it because the chance of waking up from a surgery and not sounding like myself is a probability," Cyrus noted. Although the condition doesn't currently seem to threaten the star's health, there is the chance that it could create breathing issues for her in the future.

Those who have never been to Hollywood might picture it as a stunning landscape where celebrities spend their time hanging out. While there are certainly some cool spots tourists love to hit up, there are others that many locals wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Back in 2024, Miley Cyrus visited the iconic street in the middle of the night to film one of her music videos, which saw the star rolling around on the dirty ground. She recounted the harrowing experience that followed while on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in May 2025, joking that she "caught something" on the Walk of Fame.

"You're lucky you didn't get a hypodermic needle in your body," Jimmy Kimmel remarked. Cyrus retorted, "Funny you say that. Because I filmed this video in October, and by November on Thanksgiving, I was put in ICU for a moment." The "Something Beautiful" singer explained how she wound up with a gnarly infection that caused her leg to "disintegrate ... around the kneecap area," and could only assume it was from the shoot. To emphasize how horrific her knee must have looked, Cyrus joked, "To have a surgeon look at you and say, 'Yuck.' ... They see inside the guts of humans, and they're looking at me, telling me I'm disgusting."

The "More to Lose" singer isn't the only one who's been embroiled in drama; the entire Cyrus family has experienced tragedy, including numerous public spats. From the time Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus got divorced in 2022, things seemed to crumble, and the family was divided. "My family and I have had a really difficult [time]," Miley Cyrus revealed to Monica Lewinsky during her appearance on the "Reclaiming" podcast. There seemed to be tension around the "Old Town Road" singer getting married (and subsequently divorced) again, Tish and Noah Cyrus reportedly feuded over dating the same man, and the "Flowers" songstress became estranged from her father, all in the period of a few years.

"Half of us weren't speaking to each other at one point," Cyrus said, assuring that they had since "cleaned all that up." She explained that she had felt "a lot of loyalty" to her mom following her parents' divorce, but that it was really important for her to create a clear line of communication with her family after so much drama. "I watched what happens when you don't clean things up as they're happening, they really do stack," Cyrus said. "And then all of a sudden you go, 'Oh my god, it's been 10 years and this is a mess that I barely even know how to start — this is like emotional hoarding.'" Thankfully, it seems the famous family has now put a lot of their grievances to bed, at least for now.