Billy Ray Cyrus shunned spotlight after pal Kurt Cobain's death

American country star Billy Ray Cyrus was so devastated after the death of his friend Kurt Cobain that he shunned the limelight.

His death made the star realise that he was too caught up in his own fame.

Cyrus and the rocker became friends after a chance meeting and they went on to bond over their young daughters, Miley Cyrus and Frances Bean, who were both born in 1992.

"That's what we talked about, that we each had a little girl," the Daily Star quoted Cyrus as telling GQ magazine.

The Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker admits he was shocked to hear the news when Cobain died in 1994 from a gunshot wound to the head in an apparent suicide.

He cancelled a planned tour and retreated out of the spotlight to spend time with his family and mourn his friend.

Cobain's death proved a turning point for Cyrus.

"There comes a point where you just got to step back. That's how I ended up out here (at his Tennessee home)," the singer said.

"I stepped back. I was supposed to go and do another world tour. I said no. I cancelled my tour. Kurt Cobain had just died, and that really had an impact on me.

"He was one of those guys that became a friend to me that I never expected," he added.