Dolly Parton’s estate rocked by feud as manager accuses nephew of ‘retribution’ threats, seeks restraining order

Guests visit Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on August 26, 2026, following the death of country music icon Dolly Parton at 80. — Getty Images pic via AFP

First Published: Thursday, 24 Sep 2026 10:42 AM MYT

LOS ANGELES, Sept 24 — A furious row was engulfing Dolly Parton’s estate yesterday, with the manager of the late country music legend accusing her nephew of making violent threats.

The extraordinary feud burst into the open when the singer’s long-time manager Danny Nozell filed a request for a restraining order against Bryan Seaver, alleging he was engaged in an “escalating campaign of threats” to extort money from the vast enterprise, which includes an amusement park, a hotel and soon-to-be-opened museum.

Seaver, who broke news of the singer’s death last month in an emotional video, had provided security for Parton for years, but was abruptly fired last week, TMZ reported.

That caused Seaver to criticise Nozell, with the outlet quoting Seaver as saying he was “dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions.”

But court papers filed Tuesday allege that dismay curdled into threats with one text message from Seaver warning he would become “the hand of retribution for my entire family,” The New York Times reported.

The paper said the request for a restraining order was filed in Nashville — Parton’s long-time home — by She’s Alive, the organisation run by Nozell that manages her business empire.

If granted, the order would require Seaver to stay away from company properties and ban him from contact with staff and business partners, the Times said.

In a message sent to the paper, Seaver, who describes himself as a military contractor and international arms dealer, said he was carrying out his own probe into how his aunt’s affairs were being managed at the time of her death.

“This is a contrived out-of-context explanation of how this went down and it is being done in an effort to solidify me as some sort of opposition to her brand in her legacy and that is not the case,” the paper cited Seaver as saying.

Parton’s death last month at the age of 80 sparked mourning around the world, but particularly in the United States, where President Donald Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.

Giants of music and entertainment lined up alongside Britain’s royal family to pay tribute to a woman often said to be the last person in America that everyone loved.

In addition to a formidable musical catalogue that includes hits like 9 to 5 and Jolene, as well as a number of Hollywood hits, Parton left behind a legacy of philanthropy that included a programme to help children learn to read.

Over the course of a lengthy career, she vaulted from humble log-cabin beginnings to immense wealth, parlaying her affable personality and considerable talents into a business empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

That includes the 40-year-old Dollywood theme park in Tennessee, which attracts around four million visitors a year and employs 4,000 people. — AFP