Miley Cyrus says Dolly Parton sent a sign: 'the entire hallway started flickering'
Miley Cyrus says her late godmother Dolly Parton sent her a sign — the kind you can’t wave away. During her sold-out Sunday show at the Hollywood Bowl, the 33-year-old told a packed house of nearly 18,000 exactly how she communicates with Parton, who died on Aug. 25 at 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
The ritual starts in her bedroom. Cyrus keeps what she calls a “Dolly mannequin” — built and dressed to look like Parton. “She gave it to me for Christmas, and it’s dressed like her, it’s built like her,” Cyrus said. “When I was by myself, I actually took my phone, and I played ‘Jolene’ for her on video — just holding it up to the mannequin and lit a candle.”
Then came the part that hushed the crowd. Cyrus said she placed a flower down and whispered a request: “Dolly, if you’re here right now, flicker the lights.” “And I didn’t say anything out loud,” she recalled, “but the entire hallway started flickering.” Her fiancé, drummer Maxx Morando, 27, was standing nearby and had no idea what she’d asked.
“I know Dolly’s here with me tonight,” Cyrus added. “I’m feeling some of the feelings that I’m most afraid of, but having her here with me is getting me through.”
Two nights, one farewell
She segued straight into “Jolene,” Parton’s 1974 hit, then wept while holding a framed photo of her godmother and singing the 2023 track “Used to Be Young.” “Let my Aunt Dolly hear you,” she told the arena. She also displayed Parton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star while performing “Walk of Fame.”
The callbacks followed Friday’s opening night, when Cyrus broke down on stage. “Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart,” she said. “I’m going to see her again. And I can’t f–cking wait because I miss her.”
Around the grief, it was still a party. Sunday’s set dug into “Party in the USA,” “Wrecking Ball” and “The Climb,” plus a “Karen Don’t Be Sad” duet with Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. Morando hopped on drums for the encore, “Let’s Get Married,” and Cyrus kissed him before he walked off — then closed the night with “Flowers.”