Dolly Parton Family Member Addresses ‘Hurtful’ Estate Update After Her Real Cause of Death Was Revealed

Seaver’s attorneys, Dominic J. Leonardo and James L. Collier, slammed Parton’s longtime manager and estate director, Danny Nozell, in a statement to Page Six, criticizing him for dragging Seaver into a messy lawsuit while the Parton family is still grieving the “9 to 5” singer’s death.

“Mr. Seaver has always been a private person, but he was chosen by his aunt, with his family’s approval, to make the announcement about Dolly’s passing,” Seaver’s lawyers said. “He would have preferred to remain a private person as this ordeal has taken a toll on his family.” Related Stories Dolly Parton’s Estate Gets Another Negative Update After Her Real Cause of Death Was Revealed: ‘Nobody Imagined It Would End Like This’ Dolly Parton’s Estate Reportedly Making Major Career Move After Her Real Cause of Death Was Finally Revealed

The statement continued, “While the family was grieving, the business manager went to Court and the media with a surprising and incomplete story. Seeing text messages that are misleading and taken out of context has been very hurtful to our client and his family.”

Court documents obtained by Page Six claimed that Nozell “expressed fears over Seaver’s alleged threatening text messages.” In one of the alleged texts, Seaver stated, “I’m going to go to Billboard Magazine with my s–t. Just like you. I’m going to ratf–k every [Dollywood business partner] entity I can possibly conjure.”

She’s Alive LLC and Nozell were also granted a restraining order against Seaver, which Seaver’s legal team argued was “granted ‘Ex Parte.’” According to MacElree Harvey, an “ex parte” order refers to an “emergency order issued upon the application of one party before the other party is afforded a chance to respond.”

“While Mr. Seaver and family work through this they trust the bright light of Dolly’s legacy remains untouched and they are eager to amicably and expeditiously resolve this matter,” the statement concluded.

Related: Dolly Parton’s Estate Gets Another Negative Update After Her Real Cause of Death Was Revealed: ‘Nobody Imagined It Would End Like This’

Seaver’s response comes after Rob Shuter reported that, despite his termination, he’s still demanding money. “Bryan is still sending invoices,” a source revealed to Naughty But Nice. “He’s been fired. The trust is gone. They’re fighting in court. Yet he still expects the estate to pay him. It’s extraordinary.”

The insider noted that, in Seaver’s mind, he deserves to be paid regardless of the situation. “Bryan’s position is simple: he says he did the work, so he should be paid. But the estate isn’t going to blindly write checks just because another invoice arrives.”

“He’s been fired. He’s battling Dolly’s estate in court. And he’s still billing them,” they added. “Nobody imagined it would end like this.”

Now, Shuter’s report follows another important person in Parton’s life breaking their silence on her tragic passing. Shortly after she lost her battle with cancer on Aug. 25, 2026, Parton’s driver, Jason Pirro, talked with In Touch and indicated that her death was also the result of the grief she felt following the March 2025 death of her husband, Carl Dean Thomas.

“It was a bad time for her. She didn’t say much, but she sometimes talked about how much she missed him so much,” he explained. “She didn’t want to make a big deal about it because she knew that I knew how she was affected by it.”

Pirro suggested that “that’s why she passed away so soon after he did,” adding that Parton “died of a broken heart, but she didn’t want to say that because she didn’t want people feeling sorry for her.”

“In a way, I think she was looking forward to passing,” he insisted. “It’s sad, but they had a good life together. The way their relationship was, she knew that they were going to be in heaven forever. I didn’t think it would be that soon, but it was.”