 The singer had a very close relationship with her paternal grandfather , Ron Cyrus , a Democratic legislator in the state of Kentucky and public servant , whom she referred to as " Pappy " . He was diagnosed with mesothelioma , a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body 's internal organs , and struggled with the illness for several years as result of exposure to asbestos . Cyrus then relocated from Franklin , Tennessee to Los Angeles , California to commence work on the Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana . At the sight of her grandfather ailing from afar , Cyrus was inspired to compose " I Miss You " . In her autobiography Miles to Go ( 2009 ) , she explained , " That 's how I ended up writing the song ' I Miss You ' for Pappy . He was so sick . I knew he was dying , and slowly so did my heart . I couldn 't imagine life without him . " She co @-@ wrote the song with her mother 's dear friends Wendy Foy Green and Brian Green , and described it as the most difficult song for her write because of the subject matter . Cyrus attempted to halt writing " I Miss You " , telling her co @-@ writers she could not bear anymore . 
