MILEY CYRUS PAYS TRIBUTE TO DOLLY PARTON AT HOLLYWOOD BOWL

Miley Cyrus paid tribute to her late godmother Dolly Parton during a Friday night performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Cyrus wiped away tears as she spoke to the audience before singing Parton’s 1973 song “Jolene”. Parton died in August after a cancer diagnosis. Cyrus sat behind a photograph of Parton while addressing the crowd. The performance marked Cyrus’s first return to the stage since Parton’s death.

Cyrus said she had seen Parton perform live only once, at the Hollywood Bowl. Parton had invited her to join that concert, but Cyrus said she chose to watch from the audience. Cyrus was at the height of her *Hannah Montana* fame at the time. She recalled Parton opening the concert with the programme’s theme song, “The Best of Both Worlds”, and telling the crowd that Cyrus was among them. “Like so many things Dolly did, I didn’t understand it at the time,” Cyrus said.

Cyrus told the audience, “I feel her now more than ever.” She described her memory of the concert as “gold” and said, “Me and Dolly, we are eternal.” Cyrus credited Parton with writing, producing and performing music she valued. Parton defended Cyrus after criticism of her performance with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Music Awards. Cyrus also joked that Parton would have objected to her use of a swear word during the tribute.