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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/22\/arts\/music\/dolly-parton-restraining-order-bryan-seaver.html?emc=edit_na_20260923&nl=breaking-news&segment_id=226947",
    "parsed_content": "Dolly Parton (1946-2026)ObituaryEssential Songs60-Year MarriageA Life in PhotosImagination LibraryStream Her MoviesAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTDolly Parton\u2019s Estate in Turmoil After Extortion AccusationsMs. Parton\u2019s manager requested a restraining order against her nephew and former security provider, accusing him of threats and intimidation.Listen \u00b7 5:28 min Share full articleDolly Parton\u2019s death last month was announced by her nephew Bryan Seaver in a social media post.Credit...Wade Payne\/Associated PressBy Emily Cochrane and Julia JacobsEmily Cochrane reported from Nashville and Julia Jacobs from New York.Published Sept. 22, 2026Updated Sept. 23, 2026, 8:01 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google A feud over Dolly Parton\u2019s sprawling estate spilled into the open on Tuesday when her longtime manager accused her nephew and former security detail of threats, extortion and intimidation.The accusations against the nephew, Bryan Seaver, were made public in a request for a restraining order. It offers a glimpse into a fight over Ms. Parton\u2019s entertainment enterprise, which includes the Dollywood amusement park and her Songteller hotel and Life of Many Colors museum that is set to open this month.Mr. Seaver, who delivered the news of Ms. Parton\u2019s death from cancer in a filmed video last month, was fired as head of security for her properties last week. In the court papers filed on Tuesday, he is accused of mounting \u201can obscene, deliberate and escalating campaign of threats\u201d to obtain money from the Parton estate.In text messages included in the court papers, someone identified as Mr. Seaver issued a profane threat against at least one Dollywood business partner. He wrote that he would become \u201cthe hand of retribution for my entire family,\u201d according to the complaint.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn a Sept. 3 exchange with a longtime lawyer of Ms. Parton\u2019s, Mr. Seaver described himself as a \u201ckiller\u201d and said that on the day his aunt died, he had sold $27 million in arms and ammunition to the Haitian police. \u201cLet\u2019s have dinner\u2026\u201d Mr. Seaver wrote, according to a copy of the email attached to the complaint.In a text message sent early on Wednesday morning, Mr. Seaver denied threatening anyone associated with Ms. Parton\u2019s estate and said that his messages had been twisted to portray him as an antagonist.\u201cThis 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,\u201d Mr. Seaver wrote, \u201cand that is not the case.\u201dHe said that Ms. Parton would call him \u201ckiller.\u201d\u201cIt was a joke we used around her camp,\u201d he said. \u201cI was her \u2018baby boy ninja.\u2019\u201dThe request for a restraining order was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville by She\u2019s Alive, a corporation responsible for overseeing Ms. Parton\u2019s many business endeavors. It is run by Danny Nozell, her longtime manager.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTA lawyer for She\u2019s Alive declined to comment further.Mr. Seaver and his outside security company had long overseen protection for Ms. Parton and her properties. According to the complaint, \u201cit was important to her to employ her family members when they had skill sets compatible with her business needs.\u201dThe proposed order would keep Mr. Seaver from the company\u2019s properties and staff, as well as block him from having any contact with individuals that do business with She\u2019s Alive. The company also filed a lawsuit accusing Mr. Seaver of tortious interference and seeking an unidentified amount of damages.In his text message, Mr. Seaver \u2014 who described himself as a military contractor and international arms dealer \u2014 said that Mr. Nozell had been a longtime confidant and \u201cbest friend.\u201d He described them as having worked together against those trying to exploit Ms. Parton\u2019s wealth.\u201cI trusted Danny,\u201d Mr. Seaver wrote, \u201cand that\u2019s what those messages were, two friends and brothers commiserating on the people that have screwed Dolly over for many many years.\u201dHe noted that he was carrying out his own investigation into how her affairs were managed around the time of her death.Ms. Parton successfully leveraged her musical prowess and stardom into a multi-pronged business, most notably with Dollywood, located near her hometown in east Tennessee. Even after her death, it has continued to barrel forward: In addition to the hotel and museum, a line of dolls and a coffee brand are also being introduced this month.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMr. Seaver claimed an extensive amount of military experience and dealings abroad, according to the complaint, which was earlier reported by TMZ. It said his operation \u201cwas not a conventional office-security operation; it was a heavily armed, paramilitary-style force\u201d with dozens of employees and access to military-grade weaponry.That was in part why Mr. Nozell and other business associates said they had grown unsettled as Mr. Seaver began making demands, starting just before Ms. Parton\u2019s death. One lawyer representing the Parton estate and trust quit after receiving \u201charassing and ominous threats\u201d from Mr. Seaver in a phone call, according to the filing. Some staff members have resigned, it said, while others have hired private security.Mr. Seaver told Mr. Nozell, according to the text messages, that he would \u201cset up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly\u2019s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us.\u201d\u201cIt\u2019s going to be great,\u201d Mr. Seaver wrote.\u201cOr pay me,\u201d he added, punctuating the demand with an expletive.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-23T01:17:57+00:00",
    "author_name": "Emily Cochrane, Julia Jacobs",
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