Fears of a family feud have emerged over Dolly Parton's vast fortune following her death at the age of 80. The country music superstar died after a brief battle with cancer this week, with her death announced on Tuesday (August 25).
As the star never had children, there are no clear heirs to her nine-figure fortune, prompting questions about who will inherit her estate. According to The National Examiner, Parton tried to pre-arrange the distribution of her wealth before her death.
Estate Valued Between $450m and $650m
Parton's estate potentially ranges between $450million and $650million. After the death of her husband Carl Dean, who predeceased her, it remains unclear who will inherit. Her brother Coy 'Denver' Parton also died just weeks ago, on July 23rd.
A source told the publication: "She's a very pragmatic person and the last thing she wants is to leave any sort of mess for her family to deal with."
Plans to Avoid Disputes
The source added: "Her worst nightmare is that the people she loves could end up fighting over her estate, so it's crucial to her that she gets every little thing decided in advance and leaves no room for questions or lawsuits."
They continued: "There are a ton of decisions that need to be made. There are so many charities she wants to support, along with hundreds of people in her circle of family and friends that she wants to take care of."
Potential Beneficiaries and Charitable Giving
Parton herself told Billboard: "I would not want to leave that mess to somebody else." She added: "A word to all the other artists out there: If you haven't made those provisions, do that. You don't want to leave that mess to your family for people to have to fight over. You need to take care of that yourself, even if it's a pain in the a**."
Potential beneficiaries could include her famous goddaughter, singer Miley Cyrus, and more than a dozen nieces and nephews. These include Rebecca Seaver, who founded Parton's official archive and curated her book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, as well as running her Life of Many Colors Museum.
Parton likely intends to donate a portion of her fortune to charity, after funding research into the life-saving Covid-19 vaccine. She donated $1million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville in 2020, which helped to fund the Moderna vaccine. She also previously donated to fund a new hospital and cancer centre in Sevier County, and donated millions to Nashville's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital.
