Cindy Cyrus: Who Is Billy Ray Cyrus’ Songwriter Ex-Wife?
Many people will know Billy Ray Cyrus for his country songs or the fact that he is Miley Cyrus’ father. The songwriter began releasing music in the 1990s and was an instant success in the country music charts.
While he and his family may now be household names, many people don’t know that Billy Ray was actually married before he became a star.
However, his first wife ended up being a crucial part of his rise to stardom.
So who was Cindy Cyrus?
Who is Cindy Cyrus?
Cindy Cyrus – or Cindy Smith, to use her maiden name – was married to Billy Ray Cyrus from 1986 to 1992. Billy and Cindy Cyrus divorced right around the time that the singer released his first album, Some Gave All.
Billy Ray married Cindy Cyrus when he was just 25 years old, so it may be that the two grew apart from each other.
Cindy Cyrus isn’t to be confused with another country singer called Cindy Smith. However, Billy Ray’s ex-wife did have some songwriting ability.
In fact, Cindy Cyrus co-wrote two of the hits on Billy Ray’s first album, ‘Wher’m I Gonna Live?’ and the title track of the album ‘Some Gave All’.
After the two divorced, Cindy Cyrus returned to a life of obscurity, and not much else is known about her.
(Image/ Source: Instagram @billyraycyrus)
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When he divorced Cindy Cyrus, Billy Ray was 31 years old and moved on quickly. In 1992, he fathered a child with his new girlfriend Kristin Luckey. The child, Christopher, has since stayed out of the spotlight and was raised in South Carolina with his mother.
Not long after this, Billy Ray Cyrus met Leticia “Tish” Finley. Just seven months after having Christopher, Billy had his first child with Tish – the future popstar Miley Cyrus.
Billy Ray Cyrus’ Children
We know that Billy Ray Cyrus didn’t have any children with Cindy Cyrus – so how many children does he actually have in total?
Well, after Christopher and Miley, Billy Ray has an additional four children.
His second child with Tish, Braison Chance, was born in 1994. Like Miley, Braison has also followed his father into the music business. He is an actor and musician and has even started in some of Miley’s concert films like Miley Cyrus: Live at the O2.
(Image/ Source: Instagram @billyraycyrus)
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His third child with Tish was Noah Lindsey Cyrus. Unsurprisingly, she is also a successful musician and an actress. Her first big role came when she voiced the main character in the English version of the Japanese film Ponyo.
Billy Ray is also step-dad to two of Tish’s children from a previous relationship: Brandi, an actress and presenter, and Trace, who is the lead singer in the band Metro Station.
In June this year, Billy Ray confirmed that he had become a grandparent for the first time. Braison married his wife Stella McBride in 2019, and the whole family was ecstatic with the news of their first child, Bear.
On Instagram, Billy Ray Cyrus wrote: “Papaw Cyrus holding Bear Chance Cyrus. Or…. is He holding me? Probably both are accurate assessments!!! Thanking God for all my blessings.”
A Tumultuous Marriage
Billy Ray and Tish have now been married for 28 years, but in that time they’ve had their ups and downs. In October 2010, Billy Ray filed for divorce, but by March 2011 they had gotten through their differences and the divorce did not go through.
By 2013, they had hit another rough patch, and this time Tish filed for divorce. However, again, the divorce was pulled and they instead went to couples therapy.
(Image/ Source: mirror.co.uk)
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A friend of Tish’s said: “I spoke to Tish and she told me they both woke up and realized they love each other and decided they want to stay together.
They recently went into couples therapy, something they hadn’t done in 22 years of being together, and it’s brought them closer together and really opened up their communication in amazing ways.”
Sadly, their daughter Miley has also been through a difficult marriage. She divorced from actor husband Liam Hemsworth in January 2020 after two years of marriage.