A row has broken out over Dolly Parton’s estate. Her long-time manager has accused her nephew of making violent threats.
Manager Danny Nozell has asked for a restraining order against Bryan Seaver, News24 reported. Nozell alleges Seaver ran an “escalating campaign of threats” to extort money from Parton’s business empire.
The empire includes an amusement park, a hotel and a museum that is due to open soon.
The New York Times reported on court papers filed on Tuesday. They say one text from Seaver warned he would become “the hand of retribution for my entire family”.
The request was filed in Nashville, Parton’s long-time home. It was brought by She’s Alive, the company Nozell runs to manage her business.
If granted, the order would keep Seaver away from company properties. It would also ban him from contacting staff and business partners, the Times said.
Seaver broke the news of Parton’s death in an emotional video. He provided security for the singer for years, but was abruptly fired, TMZ reported.
TMZ quoted Seaver as saying he was “dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions”.
Seaver describes himself as a military contractor and international arms dealer. He told the Times he was running his own probe into how his aunt’s affairs were run.
“This is a contrived out-of-context explanation of how this went down,” Seaver told the paper. He said it was being done to cast him as opposition to her brand and legacy.
Parton’s sister, Frieda, dismissed talk of a family feud in a short Instagram post and backed her nephew.
“There is no feud within our family. No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly’s estate. We all love Bryan, just as we love each other,” she wrote.
Parton died at the age of 80. Her death led to mourning around the world. President Donald Trump ordered US flags to fly at half-staff.
Her hits included 9 to 5 and Jolene. She also left a reading programme for children and a business empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
That empire includes the 40-year-old Dollywood theme park in Tennessee. It draws around four million visitors a year and employs 4,000 people.
Source: this article is based on reporting by news24.com. Image: news24.com. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.