Miley Cyrus Says She Still Feels Dolly Parton’s Presence After Her Death

Miley Cyrus says she continues to feel close to her late godmother, Dolly Parton, and described what she believes was a sign from the country music legend. Speaking to fans during her Oct. 18 Hollywood Bowl show, Cyrus recalled asking Parton to make the lights flicker if she was nearby. She said the lamps began switching on and off, with her fiancé, Maxx Morando, reportedly there to witness it. Cyrus told the crowd that the moment came after she played a video of Parton performing “Jolene.” She said she lit a candle, placed a flower beside a Dolly mannequin Parton had given her, and asked for a sign. Cyrus later said she could feel Parton’s presence with her onstage, describing that connection as stronger now than when the singer was alive. At another concert two nights earlier, Cyrus had spoken about her grief while holding a tissue as a black-and-white image of Parton appeared above her. She told the audience that she and her godmother were “eternal” and that nothing could separate them. Cyrus also said she had seen Parton perform live only once, despite their close family connection. Parton was a friend of Cyrus’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, and appeared on the Disney series “Hannah Montana.” The article also recalls how Parton once surprised Cyrus at a concert by performing the show’s theme song, “The Best of Both Worlds,” and telling the audience her goddaughter was in the room. Cyrus said she had tried to attend incognito, but Parton’s onstage announcement gave her away.