Family members and close associates of deceased cultural icons are asserting exclusive interpretive authority over legacy, positioning familial proximity as the legitimate framework for understanding and monetizing an artist's work. Miley Cyrus as Dolly's spiritual heir, family corrections of death narratives, and the strategic exclusion of unauthorized voices from legacy conversations demonstrate how belonging is now mediated through kinship to the iconic figure rather than through independent fan engagement. Guardianship replaces fandom.