Bryan Seaver, Dolly Parton’s nephew and former head of security, is defending his conduct after being sued over alleged threats against staff at the late singer’s Nashville properties.
Seaver, who was fired shortly before Parton’s death, said in a statement that his inflammatory messages were private grief between friends rather than genuine threats. “Nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by,” he said.
The lawsuit, filed by She’s Alive, LLC — the entity managing Parton’s professional property and business interests — accuses Seaver and associates from his security firm, Squadron Augmented Protection Services (SAPS), of menacing personnel at the SongTeller Hotel and Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum in downtown Nashville. The museum occupies the third floor of the luxury boutique hotel.
Seaver added that his exchanges with Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager of more than 20 years, reflected mutual mourning. “I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster,” Seaver continued. “A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.”
The complaint alleges Seaver sent Nozell a text just six days before Parton’s passing on August 25, following a secret battle with cancer at age 80. According to the filing, Seaver wrote: “I’m going to destroy the entire brand if you don’t get these [Dollywood business partners] out of our bit…. 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.”
The plaintiff characterized that message in court documents as “a direct threat to sabotage a core business relationship and to use public exposure as a weapon against SAL and its partners.” Nozell obtained a restraining order against Seaver promptly after terminating his employment.
Nozell’s allegations extend beyond the texts. The manager accused Seaver of “invoking his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence” to demand money, and claims the threats began weeks before the “Jolene” singer’s death. The management company further stated that employees stopped coming into the office due to fear of Seaver’s allegedly threatening messages.
Seaver maintained that his dismissal caught him off guard. He described the firing as “unexpected” and “unexplained,” and declared in his statement that he and his team “refuse to be intimidated.”
Despite his termination and the ongoing legal battle, Seaver remains a beneficiary of Parton’s trust, which encompasses her business interests and properties. Parton left behind an estate valued at approximately $450 million.
Seaver gained international attention as the family member who announced Parton’s death to the world. The “9 to 5” star died at 80 after keeping her cancer diagnosis private.
The lawsuit names Seaver and his security associates from SAPS as defendants, with the alleged intimidation unfolding at Parton’s flagship Nashville properties managed by She’s Alive, LLC, her Dollywood business partner.
