Miley Cyrus broke down in tears while paying tribute to her late godmother, country icon Dolly Parton, during her headlining show at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, October 16 — her first major performance in nearly four years, according to People.
Six songs into the set, the 33-year-old sat on the side of the stage and recalled the only time she ever saw Parton perform live: at the Hollywood Bowl itself. Parton had invited her on stage that night, but Cyrus wanted to experience it as a fan. Instead, Parton surprised her by opening with a cover of the Hannah Montana theme song, "The Best of Both Worlds," then telling the crowd, "My goddaughter is Hannah Montana, and she's actually here tonight."
"Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could tear us apart," Cyrus told the crowd. "And I'm gonna see her again. I can't wait because I miss her." She then performed "Jolene," the 1973 classic Parton wrote and released herself, calling her "Aunt Dolly" the author of some of the greatest music of our time. During "Wrecking Ball," she held a photo of Parton in a heart-shaped frame, revealing it was her godmother's favorite of her songs.
At her second show on October 18, Cyrus shared an even more personal moment, telling the crowd she keeps a life-sized Dolly mannequin — a Christmas gift from Parton — in her bedroom, and recounted lighting a candle, playing "Jolene" on her phone, and asking for a sign. "The entire hallway started flickering," she said, per Tyla. "I know she's here with me tonight." Parton died in August at 80 after a brief battle with cancer, Parade reports.
Photo: Raphael Pour-Hashemi (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)