Dolly Parton’s memoir will be published posthumously by Grand Central Publishing following a heated multi-million dollar bidding war, according to reports.
The Queen of Country, who died in August at the age of 80, had apparently been working on the book in secret. It is not clear yet how much she will disclose about her life or her private health battles.
According to Page Six, the book was represented by literary agency Folio and received bids up to around $12 million before Grand Central Publishing ultimately won the rights with a bid of $13 million.
However, other sources claimed the final figure was lower but involved a larger than usual royalty split for Parton’s estate.
The figure would be substantial for a music memoir but not record-setting, with Britney Spears selling the rights to her memoir in 2022 for $15 million.
The Independent has approached representatives for Parton’s estate and Grand Central Publishing for comment.
Earlier this week, Parton’s estate named her niece, Danielle Parton, as its new brand ambassador to continue the late country icon’s legacy.
Danielle, daughter of the singer’s younger brother Bobby Lee Parton and Doris Maxine Nolan, said in a video: “Like so many of you, losing her has changed something for me. It made me think of the stories, values, and lessons that she left behind, and the responsibility that our family has to care for them.”
She told fans that she would “never try and speak for Dolly,” but instead remind the world of the legacy and stories “behind the global icon.”
The announcement came amid an ongoing legal battle between Parton’s estate and her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, the son of her sister Cassie Parton. Seaver was the one who announced Parton’s death to the world.
A series of troubling allegations have led to Seaver being fired from his security role by Parton’s estate. Last month, the estate was granted a temporary restraining order against Seaver.
Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager, requested the order against Seaver in a Tennessee court on behalf of She's Alive LLC, the company that now manages Parton’s business empire. The filing claimed that Seaver’s “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable” and also alleged that Seaver began a campaign of intimidation in the weeks leading up to Parton’s death in an attempt to obtain significant sums of money.
In a statement to TMZ, Seaver denied the allegation that he was attempting to extort money from the estate, but maintained other claims were simply taken out of context.
The next court hearing in the legal saga is slated for November 3.
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