Dolly Parton's niece has reportedly been terminated from her positions under the Queen of Country's estate.
Rebecca Seaver, who served as the director of Parton's museum and archives, was fired alongside her entire staff Thursday, Oct. 29, according to TMZ, which cited sources with direct knowledge of the situation. It is unclear how many employees were impacted by the move, which came from She's Alive, LLC., the entity known as SAL that the singer created to manage and protect her professional property and business affairs after her death.
Her brother Bryan Seaver – who was also removed from his post as Parton's head of security for over 20 years in September and is now in a legal battle with the estate – seemed to confirm the report in an Oct.
31 Facebook post."I am very proud of my sister Rebecca Seaver and her endeavors building Dolly’s archive and museum," he wrote.On Oct. 23, Danielle Parton, the daughter of Dolly Parton's youngest brother Bobby Parton, was named the official brand ambassador of the Dolly Parton Estate. Her public-facing role centers on preserving her aunt's legacy and representing the businesses and entertainment projects continuing after her death.
Bryan Seaver seemed to address that staffing change as well. "My cousin Danielle Parton is my closest family and my buddy. We are nearest in age and have always been pals," he also said in his post.
"I have always and will forever sing her praises and support her as she goes about her journey and career," he continued. "Both of these women are dynamos in their fields and there is no feud between us. I love them both with all my heart."
He also interacted with people in the comments, explaining in one thread, "Everything is fine. Dolly’s legacy will continue in glory. We are all fine. Stay tuned…"
USA TODAY has reached out to Rebecca Seaver and Bryan Seaver for comment.
Who is Rebecca Seaver?
Rebecca Seaver is the daughter of Parton's sister Cassie Parton and worked closely with her late aunt over the years, including on her Life of Many Colors Museum – a 20,000 square foot space they curated together to tell the story of Parton's life.
The museum, which sits inside the Grammy-winner's SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville, officially opened on Sept. 29, shortly after Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following a private battle with cancer.
"I'm so proud of it. I'm so excited. I'm so proud of her," Rebecca Seaver told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview in September. "But it's hard. She's not here to open it. And I thought she would be, so that's tough."
Her LinkedIn lists her as a 14-year-long employee of Dolly Parton Enterprises, most recently holding the role of Director of Museum & Archive Services since 2019, as well as Executive Director of the Life of Many Colors Museum.
Dolly Parton's estate sued her nephew Bryan Seaver
Rebecca Seaver's termination comes amid the estate's ongoing legal battle against her brother. Days after Bryan Seaver was terminated on Sept. 16, SAL – which is run by Parton's longtime manager Danny Nozell – sued Bryan and his company Squadron Augmented Protection Services.
The filing also included a request for a restraining order, which was granted. A court date is set for Nov. 10.
SAL alleged the country music star's nephew threatened to smear her legacy and made violent threats against several employees, including Nozell, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY. It asked the court to permanently bar Bryan Seaver and his associates from having contact with anyone associated with SAL's business affairs.
Bryan Seaver denied threatening anyone. His attorneys told USA TODAY in an Oct. 12 statement that Nozell is presenting an "incomplete story," adding that the messages included in the filing of the alleged threatening exchanges are "misleading and taken out of context."
On Nov. 2, Bryan Seaver's legal team filed an official answer to SAL's lawsuit. Obtained by USA TODAY, it reiterates his denial of wrongdoing and asks for the case to be dismissed entirely with prejudice. For any issues deemed triable, they demanded a jury trial.
In addressing each of SAL's claims, Bryan Seaver's lawyers provided alleged additional details of the full conversations in which he was accused of making threats. They also said he never attempted to "extract money" from SAL or Dolly Parton's trusts through threats.
The filing said SAPS was owed more than $251,000 "for security services already provided" and only ever "sought payment of that legitimate debt" and said that the company has now been paid in full.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's niece fired from museum position: report
