Miley Cyrus Tears Up During Hollywood Bowl Concert Paying Tribute to Godmother Dolly Parton

Miley Cyrus became visibly emotional during a recent performance at the Hollywood Bowl, bringing the sold-out concert to a standstill as she paid tribute to her late godmother, Dolly Parton. The singer broke down in tears while singing Parton's iconic song "Jolene" on Friday.

Cyrus, 33, shared a personal story with the audience about a past experience at the same venue with Parton, who passed away on August 25 at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer. The concert was in support of Cyrus's 10th studio album, "Bass Persuades."

"I watched my godmother perform live once at the Hollywood Bowl, which also inspired me to hold shows at the venue," Cyrus told the crowd, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She recalled telling Parton she wanted to watch from the audience "like the rest of the world has gotten to."

Parton had responded with "Okay, Miley," though Cyrus humorously noted that "that never means okay." Instead, Parton opened her own show by singing "The Best of Both Worlds" from Cyrus's former Disney show, "Hannah Montana."

"But that's just not the end of that story," Cyrus continued. "And she goes, like a proud aunt, 'I don't know if y'all know this, but my goddaughter is Hannah Montana, and she's actually here tonight, but she's sitting out in her seat. She didn't want anyone to bug her. She said she just wanted to watch the show,' which defeated the entire purpose of the conversation that we had just had."

Cyrus stated that she could feel Parton's presence with her on stage. "Sitting here with you all right now, feeling her all around me, knowing that she's right here beside me, every day, more than she could be when she was here. I feel her more now than ever."

Sharing this memory with her fans, Cyrus said, "makes that night very worth it." She added, "This memory is gold to me. Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could ever tear us apart, and I'm gonna see her again."