The Flowers singer was recognised at a ceremony in Hollywood and couldn't keep her emotions in check when it came to thanking her loved ones for their support.
Cyrus was accompanied at the ceremony by her mother Tish Cyrus, sister Brandi Cyrus and fiance Maxx Morando.
"To my family, my future family, parents, my mom, my siblings, my friends, my collaborators, thank you for loving and supporting not only the choices that I make, but my fears, and then facing them with me," she said.
"Today is something that I'll never forget and I'm always going to cherish. I love you all so much, thank you."
Cyrus had referenced her song Walk of Fame (which ends with the line "you'll live forever") earlier during her speech and described receiving the star as "an accumulation of devotion".
"This star somehow represents immortality, and although I love the lyric, the fact that I won't is what creates the urgency that sets my heart on fire," Cyrus explained.
"What feels so special to me about this star is that it's an accumulation of devotion. A star isn't something that you win like a seasonal game. It's not something that you can chase or collect. It's not something you make the next record for."
The 33-year-old's friends Anya Taylor-Joy and Donatella Versace also delivered speeches at Friday's ceremony.