What to Know
Sadly, some drama has surfaced in the aftermath of Dolly Parton’s death, and it is very much ongoing, according to recent reports. As you might already know, Dolly’s estate has sued her nephew Bryan Seaver, who also served as her head of security and was asked to be the one to announce her death to the public. Now, a new report alleges that in the weeks leading up to Dolly’s death, police were called to her home over a family dispute.
The family dispute appeared to involve Dolly’s 40-year-old niece, Rebecca Seaver, who is Bryan’s sister.
Police were alerted of a dispute at Dolly’s mansion on July 13.
According to a report from In Touch, the report was related to a confrontation involving Rebecca and her nephew Keegan Seaver. There were ultimately no charges or arrests, but Keegan, 21, claimed that his aunt Rebecca “had struck him with her open hands about his body several times.” This allegedly “stemmed from a verbal confrontation he had with Ms. Seaver’s coworker, Ms. Andrea Abernathy, earlier in the day.”
Rebecca described the situation differently.
Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver who announces his aunt’s death in this video, has been accused of threatening violence and destroying Parton’s legacy, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges Seavers has referred to himself in writing as “a killer,” “international arms dealer” and “mercenary,” who has threatened, “All I do is warfare. Everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.” SAL called these threats “calculated statements” made to instill fear in the company’s employees with the goal of destroying his aunt’s reputation and brand partnerships. @LAmag has reached out to Seaver’s team for their reaction to the lawsuit.
— Taylor Parise (@TaylorParise) September 23, 2026
Apparently, she really did confront Keegan over how he had been treating her coworker. However, Rebecca and Keegan’s accounts differ because Rebecca claimed that she did not hit Keegan during this disagreement.
“She claimed she made no physical contact with him other than when he placed his hand in her face in an attempt to provoke her, so she lightly smacked his hand out of her face,” an officer reportedly said.
Citing “the lack of evidence and contradicting statements,” the officer noted that it was too difficult to “determine a primary aggressor or that an assault even occurred.”
So, he spoke to both Keegan and Rebecca about how to avoid disputes like this one in the future. “I advised both parties to separate and to consult with their supervisors/employers to help create a solution to keep this situation from escalating,” he noted in the report.
This news comes amid Bryan’s legal battle with Dolly’s estate.
She’s Alive LLC, which Dolly established to protect her business interests, filed a lawsuit against Bryan in September and was granted a temporary restraining order. The estate accused Bryan of making threats and trying to “destroy the entire brand” and “extort money for his personal gain.”
After this came to light, one of Dolly’s sisters, Freida Parton, seemingly commented on the drama on Facebook, writing that “there is no feud within our family” and “we all love Bryan, just as we all love each other.”
In a statement that Bryan’s lawyers shared with Page Six, he’s described as a “private person” who is still grieving. Given that Bryan and his loved ones are already dealing with a lot, the allegations have been extra “hurtful,” attorneys Dominic J. Leonardo and James L. Collier shared with the entertainment outlet.
“Mr. Seaver has always been a private person, but he was chosen by his aunt, with his family’s approval, to make the announcement about Dolly’s passing,” the lawyers stated. “He would have preferred to remain a private person as this order has taken a toll on his family.”
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