As the world mourns Dolly Parton, she leaves behind one of the most prolific catalogs in country music, raising questions about who will now oversee her trailblazing body of work.
The beloved "Queen of Country," who died on Aug. 25 at age 80, had a music catalog worth around $120 million, according to 2025 Forbes estimates.
Since the music trailblaizer and her husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025, did not have any children together, it's unclear who will inherit her estate and manage her massive discography, which includes timeless hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You."
There have been no verified public filing to identify who will inherit her estate.
"I would be really surprised given, how smart she was, if she had not put into place
estate planning on what would happen after she passed," Lisa Alter, a partner at Alter, Kendrick & Baron who represents clients in the acquisition, sale and securitization of music assets, tells USA TODAY. "Whether that was just artist royalties or masters she actually owned, presumably she would have done thoughtful estate planning."
Here's what we know about who is likely to take over the "9 to 5" singer's work and Parton likely would've looked for in a beneficiary, trust or other estate-planning entity.
Who will likely own Dolly Parton's music catalog?
It's possible that Parton's nieces and nephews will be named as beneficiaries in her estate, including her music catalog, according to Sean Weissbart, an estate attorney, partner at Blank Rome and New York University law professor.
Weissbart referenced a report by the U.S. Sun, which on Aug. 27 reported that Dean's will and testament directed that all his belongings be distributed among his nieces and nephews in the event Parton died before him. The outlet reported that his will, which was last updated in 2013, had named five of his own nieces and nephews and 14 on Parton's side.
He said other likey benefeciaries include The Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which he expects to live on for a long time like Parton intended.
"She has the ability in her estate planning to have given them significant sums of money to help achieve that goal, and I expect that's really going to be part of that legacy," he added.
What would Dolly Parton have looked for in a trustee?
While owning the underlying publishing rights, Parton also partnered with major companies to administer and represent her music catalog.
Weissbart explained that Parton did not necessarily have to assign someone with a proficient expertise in the music industry to oversee her catalog. He said it's possible Parton sought someone with strong financial skills, honesty, integrity and who knows how to hire the right people.
"I think what's critical is someone who has the time to do this job, who's going to stand in her shoes right now that she's gone and manage this catalog of music in this next chapter," Weissbart says. "That has to be someone who's capable of learning how to do it and capable of hiring the right people and meeting with them and making sure they're doing their job."
In addition to managing the use of her iconic body of work, Weissbart said it's possible the trustee of her estate could use Parton's likeness, which is heavily protected under Tennessee's ELVIS Act (Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act), to generate additional income.
Alter said she believes Parton would've likely assigned someone who would maintain a continuity of control over her estate and who would preserve her wishes. She explained that a trustee would likely work to ensure the use of her music aligned with her political views or religious values.
"Those kind of wishes will continue to be honored after her death because whoever she appointed to succeed her will have those instructions," Alter says. "This isn't a case of someone tragically dying young and having not even thought about what would happen after she died. She was a good business person."
Parton normalized defying industry norms by retaining ownership stakes in her music through publishing companies including OwePar Entertainment, which she founded alongside uncle Bill Owens in the 1960s and which is now managed by her cousin Richie Owens, and Velvet Apple Music.
Contributing: Chris Parton and Audrey Gibbs, The Nashville Tennessean
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton leaves behind a legendary music catalog. Who will own it?
