Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus has said he is “adjusting to a world” without Dolly Parton and refers to it as A.D, meaning After Dolly.
The 65-year-old, known for the song Achy Breaky Heart, was a close friend to the country superstar who died aged 80 on August 25 following a brief battle with cancer.
Friday marked one month since her death, with Cyrus remembering the singer as being “a light in the world”.
Speaking to People, he said: “I forever see that number 25 has changed in a different way.
“I call it A.D. After Dolly.
“We’re adjusting to a world without Dolly, and her light still shines. That’s the beauty of it.”
Parton, known for the hit songs Jolene, 9 To 5 and I Will Always Love You, is the godmother to Cyrus’ daughter, singer Miley Cyrus.
He described Parton as being “like Mother Theresa meets Elvis (Presley) meets Marilyn Monroe” and said she was “a star of a magnitude beyond this planet”.
“Dolly is just such a light in the world. We all celebrate this day of all of her love and humanity.
“She treated every single human being that came in her path with love and grace.”
Cyrus also marked the anniversary by sharing one of his most “prized possessions”, a handwritten letter from Parton which she gave him just after they first met in 1992.
The letter said she was glad to be working with the singer and that she was proud of him.
Tributes poured in from around the world following her death, including from some of the biggest names in music like Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
Over the course of her career, which spanned more than 60 years, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs, including hits Coat Of Many Colours and Joshua.
She was a businesswoman with an empire that included a theme park, aptly named Dollywood, and a pioneering philanthropist.
Alongside her music career, Parton also founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in honour of her father, who could not read or write, to ensure children from birth to age five can receive a free, high-quality book mailed directly to their home each month.
An annual charity fundraising event named Give Like Dolly Day, was launched on September 25 to honour the country music star and encourage people to support the programme.
