Dolly Parton's Business Empire to Move Forward After Her Death, Manager Says
Dolly Parton died on 25 August at age 80, but the ventures she built — and the ones she had not yet finished — will go ahead, her longtime manager Danny Nozell has confirmed.
"Dolly worked up until the day she died," Nozell told Billboard. He said her team would bring to life the many dreams she had yet to fulfil.
The pipeline is substantial. In June, Parton opened Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stops in Cornersville, Tennessee, south of Nashville. Her SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville begins accepting guests on 14 September, with a grand opening on 29 September. That same date brings the grand opening of the Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum, which occupies the hotel's third floor and is described by its operators as the largest exhibit celebrating Parton's life to date.
A line of Dolly Dolls launches online on 15 September. Dolly's Cup of Ambition Coffee, created with Community Coffee in light, medium and dark roasts, goes online on 29 September with a retail rollout in spring 2027. A holiday project, Dolly On The Holly, is set for later this year.
On the stage, "Dolly: A True Original Musical" begins Broadway previews on 7 December, with an opening night on 19 January 2027 — the date that would have been Parton's 81st birthday. Parton and her team previewed the show earlier this year at Nashville's Belmont University.
Further out, the Kendra Scott x Dolly: The 9 to 5 jewellery collection arrives in January 2027. Dolly's Dog Treats launch next year. A Dolly Bedding & Home Decor line is slated for late 2027.
Other projects in development include a Dolly avatar show, a Dolly musical documentary, an animated series based on her "Billy The Kid" children's book series, and a Dolly-inspired biopic, docuseries and scripted series. Her "Threads: My Songs in Symphony" project — which pairs her catalogue with orchestral arrangement — is also teaming up with the Nashville Symphony for a limited summer series, according to DollyParton.com.
Dollywood, her theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, will remain open. Representatives for the park said on 25 August that it would operate as usual the following day, writing that "the show must go on," Billboard reported.
For fans, that means a calendar of releases, openings and performances stretching into late 2027 and beyond — each one carrying Parton's name into the spaces she had already planned for it.
