Dolly Parton never got to finish the work of settling her late husband's estate before she died.
Dean's niece, Dea Chaffin Cunningham Williams, was appointed the new executor of his estate earlier this month by a Tennessee court judge.
Carl Dean, 85, died March 3, 2025, in Nashville.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together," Parton wrote in a statement after his death. "Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathies."
Nearly a year and a a half later, Parton died after a short battle with cancer.
Parton was named Dean's executor of his estate, according to a will signed in 2016 and filed in probate court weeks after his death. He left nearly everything to his wife.
"If my wife does
not survive me, or if my wife disclaims or does not desire any such property, then such property shall be divided equally among the nieces and nephews of both me and my wife," the will said.
Parton and Dean had no children of their own. Combined, they had 19 nieces and nephews at the time the will was written. That includes Bryan Seaver.
Seaver is at the center of a restraining order, filed by She's Alive LLC, the company created to assist in overseeing Parton's professional property trust upon her death. Parton's former manager Danny Nozell runs the company.
In the lawsuit, Nozell said Seaver sent him threatening messages and said employees were afraid to come to work. Seaver said in court filings that the messages were never meant to be threatening and were merely banter between close friends.
A Davidson County judge will hear that case Nov. 3.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who inherits Carl Dean's estate after Dolly Parton's death? His nieces, nephews
