Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver has reportedly been fired from his longtime role as the head of security for the late country star’s properties.
Seaver, the family representative who announced Parton’s death last month at the age of 80, received a termination notice September 16 saying that he and his security guard employees had been dismissed, according to TMZ.
He served as the head of security for more than two decades after taking over for his father, Larry Seaver, who previously held the role.
Footage from last week obtained by TMZ showed replacement guards taking over posts at Parton’s home in Nashville, as well as her museum and warehouse.
Seaver called out Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, and Pinnacle Bank, who oversees Parton’s trust, in a statement to TMZ, saying he and his teams were “dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions.”
Nozell did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
The termination letter sent to Seaver reportedly states that the DP Dean Trust, which Parton established as her private estate trust before her death, controls Parton’s properties and business ventures. The letter clarified that Seaver’s personal interest in the trust is unchanged.
Seaver and his team said they have been overwhelmed by the love and support shown to Parton’s family and her legacy after her death.
“We remain unshakably resolved to fulfill her final directive to protect her family,” Seaver and his team told TMZ. “And we refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith and with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much.”
The Independent has reached out to Seaver through his company for further comment.
Parton died August 25 following “a brief battle with cancer” at a hospital in Nashville, where she had been hospitalized four days earlier. The type of cancer has not been disclosed.
Seaver, who is the son of Parton’s younger sister Cassie, announced the news on behalf of the country legend’s family in a video shared on her social media accounts.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver said at the time. “It is an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus.”
Parton was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville. She was buried next to Carl Dean, her husband of 60 years who died in March 2025.
