Dolly Parton Family War: Country Icon's Loved Ones Battling It Out for Control of $650Million Fortune Just Weeks Following Her Tragic Death
A fight for Dolly Parton's huge fortune is believed to have been sparked.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 4:20 p.m. ET
Dolly Parton left behind a massive fortune that now has her family members fighting it out for control and threatening to expose the country icon's darkest secrets, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 9 to 5 singer, who died on August 25 at the age of 80, is believed to have had $650million, which loved ones are scrambling to get hold of, according to insiders.
Dolly Parton's Family Secrets Exposed
Parton was believed to have had a $650million fortune at the time of her death.
A source claimed a war is happening, "especially among some of the family members who don't really work, have wreaked havoc in their hometown [of Sevierville, Tennessee], and were living off Dolly."
Parton, who died a year after her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, passed away at 82, is survived by six of her 11 siblings – along with dozens of nieces, nephews, and their children. However, according to insiders, not everyone may end up with cash, including her sister Freida, 69, who is believed to have been cut out of the will.
The source claimed Freida may have been left on the sidelines due to several legal battles involving the I Will Always Love You hitmaker, including a now-settled 1989 workers' compensation claim against Dollywood after Freida hurt her back while working at the theme park.
The drama seemed to continue in 2000, when Parton and eight of her siblings went to court seeking control of their parents Robert and Avie's financial and personal affairs.
'A Lot of Skeletons in Their Closet'
The '9 to 5' hitmaker died on August 25 after a brief battle with cancer.
However, Freida and her twin, Floyd, who died in 2018, sided against her ultra-famous sister. Parton's father suffered a stroke and died just days after the lawsuit was filed. Avie, who was suffering from dementia, died in 2003 after the feud was resolved.
The rough times in Parton's family continued, however, after her brother Randy, who died in 2021 at the age of 67, was fired from his own North Carolina theater in 2007 after reportedly being too drunk to perform. An investigation reportedly found close to $2.5million in public money had been spent on the venue, including expenses for alcohol and trips to Las Vegas.
Randy denied all the allegations. Meanwhile, Parton's niece, Tever, was arrested in 2006 for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend’s mother in a bid to steal her unemployment check and forge the mom's name so Tever could allegedly buy drugs. Tever died in 2017 aged 36.
"Like many families, the Partons have a lot of skeletons in their closet," a source explained. "And they're all coming tumbling out over the fight for Dolly's fortune."
Dolly Parton's Death
Parton's was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Nashville days after her death.
On August 25, Parton's nephew Brian Seaver announced the philanthropist's death in a video message. He noted at the time that his aunt "opened doors not just for me but for her entire family to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible. Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent.
"By her example, we believed that anything is possible. She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history."
Parton was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Nashville attended only by immediate family, according to her great-niece, Lainey.
"Most people can think of at least one bad memory with everyone in their family. I honestly can't think of one with her," Lainey said in a statement on Instagram.
She added, "... Because she couldn't have kids of her own, she always made us feel like we were hers. She loved us that way, and I'll forever be grateful for that."
Dolly Parton Still Had Things Left to Do
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'I'm still healing,' Parton said before her death.
Just days before her death, Parton opened up about having many things left to do.
"I'm still workin’! You know me – as I've often said – I've dreamed myself into a corner, and I still have so many things I want to achieve, so I’m gonna keep on working as long as I can to see everything come to life," she told People at the time.
Parton added, "Seriously, though, even though I’m still healin’, I'm still workin'!" Parton died after a brief battle with cancer.
