Dolly Parton’s younger sister, Freida Parton, 69, has spoken up about the barrage of rumors surrounding the Parton estate.
The country icon’s manager, Danny Nozell, fired Parton’s nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, and removed his security teams from Parton’s properties on Sept. 16. Nozell filed a lawsuit against Seaver through She’s Alive, LLC, which Parton created to protect her legacy on Sept. 23.
Nozell accused Seaver of orchestrating “an obscene, deliberate and escalating campaign of threats” to acquire funds from his aunt’s estate (Forbes estimated that Parton’s net worth to be $450 million in 2025). Seaver denied the allegations of threats and extortion and called the filing a “publicity stunt.”
Nozell also requested a temporary restraining order against Seaver for the estate, which a Tennessee judge granted on Sept. 22.
Freida, also a country singer, defended Seaver and denied any feud between Seaver and the rest of the family on social media Wednesday.
“I’ll say this and this only,” she posted on Instagram. “No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly’s estate. We all love Bryan, just as we all love each other. I love you all!!”
The Owens side of the family comes from Parton’s mother’s lineage, while the Parton side is her father’s.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Seaver broke the news of her death in a video at Parton’s request.
