Dolly Parton’s outspoken sister Stella has broken her silence regarding the bitter family feud after the music icon’s death at 80 last month.
Parton‘s estate has reportedly been granted a temporary restraining order against the music legend’s nephew Bryan Seaver following allegations he made threatening overtures towards her manager Danny Nozell.
Nozell, who managed Parton for over 20 years, took out a temporary restraining order against Seaver under Parton’s company She’s Alive, LLC, and claimed Seaver demanded money from him and began ‘invoking his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence’ while doing so.
Seaver served as his aunt’s security chief and was entrusted by her to announce the news of her death last month.
And now, Dolly’s 77-year-old sister Stella has addressed the bitter family feud in an Instagram Story posted on Thursday.
She wrote: ‘We are still in contact and moving forward because our children and grandchildren look to us for strength and guidance during this difficult time and confusion for them as well.’
Dolly Parton’s outspoken sister Stella has broken her silence regarding the bitter family feud after the music icon’s death at 80 last month (Above, Parton sisters in Nashville in April 2014)
She went on to say that anyone else in their family’s position would be doing the same thing.
Stella wrote: ‘We are living our lives one day at a time and being grateful for every blessing.’
She concluded the message by saying that the Parton family will be celebrating the legendary Jolene singer as it is her one month death anniversary tomorrow.
This comes as a Tennessee judge has granted Parton’s company She’s Alive, LLC legal protection from Seaver and his security company Squadron Augmented Protection Services (SAPS), according to TMZ.
Seaver and SAPS must remain 1,000 feet away from She’s Alive employees, lawyers, and business partners. Seaver and SAPS must also not interfere with She’s Alive’s business relationships.
The issue will be addressed at a hearing scheduled for October 7.
The Daily Mail has contacted Nozell, Seaver’s organization SAPS, and Nozell’s attorney Timothy L Warnock for comment.
In documents seeking the temporary restraining order, Nozell told the court he fired Seaver from his position on September 15 as a result of the alleged threats, TMZ previously reported.
Nozell claimed that Seaver’s behavior continued to escalate in the weeks ahead of Parton’s August 25 death at 80, according to the outlet.
Dolly’s 77-year-old sister Stella has addressed the bitter family feud in an Instagram Story posted on Thursday
Parton’s estate has now been granted a restraining order against the music legend’s nephew Bryan Seaver following allegations he made threatening overtures against her manager Danny Nozell; Seaver seen above with the singer in 2017 in NYC
Nozell, who managed Parton for over 20 years, took out a temporary restraining order against Seaver under Parton’s company She’s Alive, LLC; Above, Parton and Nozell in LA in 2022
According to legal documents reviewed by TMZ, Seaver told Nozell: ‘Her money better be bigger than I can make elsewhere or I’m going to f*** everyone. I am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family.’
Another communication Seaver sent to Nozell, according to the filing, read: ‘All I do is warfare … everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.’
Seaver allegedly told Nozell he was planning on setting ‘up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnership and telling the violations these people have done on us,’ per the court filing, TMZ reported.
Nozell requested that the court order Seaver to remain a minimum of 1,000 feet from Parton’s office and to refrain from contacting Parton’s businesses or affiliates, according to the report.
In response to the restraining order request, Seaver told TMZ on Tuesday: ‘I am a career soldier and military contractor and do conduct arms deals for foreign governments. I am a security professional and I am a killer.
‘However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.’
The music legend died at age 80 last month, sending fans and the music world into mourning
Nozell said in documents previously viewed by TMZ that Seaver demanded money from him and invoked ‘his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence’ while doing so; Parton seen in 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee
Bryan said that the texts included in the filing had been published out of context to make it look like he was trying to be intimidating, which wasn’t the case.
‘I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster,’ Bryan told the outlet. ‘A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.’
Seaver said that one remark – in which he said he was going to ‘rat f***’ an organization whose name was redacted from the report – was ‘about people that have done bad to Dolly in business.’
He added: ‘Those comments were about specific, horrible business partners that have done wrong to her and I stand by that.’
Seaver last week received a notice reviewed by TMZ that he and his security organizations, which provided protection for Parton’s Nashville home, museum and a warehouse, were being replaced by another company.
Insiders told the outlet that they believed Parton’s manager Nozell and Pinnacle Bank were responsible for the decision to terminate him and his employees.
A new security team was deployed to the locations previously overseen by Seaver’s companies after the termination notice was issued, according to the report.
Sources close to Seaver said that he and his associates had been ‘dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions’ carried out in the wake of Parton’s passing.
Seaver seen accompanying Parton to a Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance in 2016
‘We remain unshakably resolved to fulfill her final directive to protect her family, and we refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith,’ Seaver’s camp told TMZ.
They told the outlet that they believed the actions had been taken ‘with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much.’
According to TMZ, the notice issued to Seaver indicated that the DP Dean Trust had been overseeing Parton’s business and properties in the wake of her passing.
Seaver retains a personal interest in her trust moving forward, according to the report.
Seaver, whose mother Cassie is Parton’s sister, had been appointed by the late Jolene singer to reveal her death in a public statement.
Following Parton’s August 25 passing after a cancer battle, Seaver had been seen in a clip in which he revealed the sad news.
Seaver served as his aunt’s security chief and was entrusted by her to announce the news of her death last month
‘Dolly has lived in the light, and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by [late husband] Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed for her to meet them in the heavens,’ Seaver said in the emotional clip.
In the clip, Seaver noted that his father Larry had held the security position before him.
He said that he had been her security head for the past ‘two decades,’ and had been working for her over the past four decades.
‘I first went on the road with Dolly as a kid, getting a taste of the road life in the early 1980s,’ Seaver said. ‘Dolly opened doors not just for me, but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn’t even know was possible.
‘Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent. By her example, we believed that anything was possible.’
He added: ‘She never saw a door she couldn’t open, and the doors she opened made and changed history. My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you.’
Parton has been well-remembered in the weeks since her passing, during which she received an expansive tribute at the Primetime Emmy Awards last week, which featured Reba McEntire and Sally Field.
Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed in Parton’s memory following a vote from the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners weeks back.
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