Danielle Parton is one of the many extended family members who knew Dolly Parton as “Aunt Granny” — but she also just got a much bigger public-facing role in preserving the singer’s legacy.
Parton’s estate has officially named Danielle as Dolly Parton’s brand ambassador. She will lead the charge in carrying her aunt’s legacy forward following Parton’s death in August.
Dolly Parton’s Estate Names Her Niece Danielle Parton As Brand Ambassador
The news was announced via a video posted to Dolly Parton’s social media on Friday (Oct. 23.)
The late country legend herself was the one to introduce Danielle to fans. “Ladies and gentlemen, my niece Danielle Parton,” Parton says in a pre-recorded clip at the top of the video.
From there, Danielle introduced herself, and shared why it’s so important to her to carry on her aunt’s large-looming legacy.
“She loved us deeply, believed in big dreams and she always encouraged me to find my way in this world,” Danielle says.
“I would never speak for Dolly, and I’m not crazy enough to try to fill her shoes. God knows I couldn’t walk on ’em without killing myself,” she continues. “What I can do is share the woman that I knew. I can tell some of the stories of her, the stories behind the global icon, and support the people carrying forward the work that she cared for and created to make sure what she built continues to bring people joy.”
In her introduction, Danielle describes herself as a pilot, a “girl boss” and a proud east Tennessean dedicated to supporting her family’s legacy of love, faith and care for each other in the world.
Who is Dolly Parton’s Niece + Brand Ambassador Danielle Parton?
Danielle Parton is one of Dolly Parton’s many nieces and nephews.
Her father is Robert Parton Jr., who was born in 1948 and is the younger brother of Dolly Parton.
Up until now, Danielle has chosen to remain a relatively private figure. Her well-known cousins include Bryan Seaver and Rebecca Seaver (who are both the children of Dolly’s sister Cassie), Heidi Lou Parton and Jada Star.
Though she hasn’t spent much time in the spotlight until now, Danielle Parton has led an incredible life.
Dolly Parton’s Niece Danielle Served 20 Years in the Army National Guard
According to WCVB, Danielle Parton graduated from Belmont University in 1998, becoming the first woman in the Parton family to earn a four-year college degree.
She worked her way up in aviation and served in the Army National Guard for two decades.
According to a 2023 post from Belmont’s Cone Center for Entrepreneurship, Danielle is a decorated combat veteran who was appointed Chief of Public Affairs for the National Guard of the 118th wing during the course of her aviation career.
“I became a pilot. I served my nation for 20 years in the National Guard, and I built a career in aviation that I’m incredibly proud of to this day,” Danielle says in her video. “I still fly commercially, something I love and intend to keep doing.”
She also says that her country legend aunt supported that dream.
“I’ve spent my life building a path of my own, and my Aunt Granny was always proud of that and encouraged me to do that very thing,” she says. “
Dolly Parton’s Niece Danielle is A Business Owner With Her Own Moonshine Brand
In addition to her career in aviation, Danielle is the creator of her own moonshine brand, Shine Girl.
Founded in 2022, Shine Girl is a moonshine line that spotlights the Parton family history of Appalachian moonshine-making, and caters especially to women. Featured flavors include Lavender, Rosé, Red Velvet Cake and Coconut.
Danielle says that Shine Girl’s newly-opened shop is in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. — in fact, it’s “exactly two doors down from Dollywood.”
“It’s my way of taking my family’s history of moonshining, maybe drinking it a little, and carrying it in my own way into the future and putting a modern twist on it,” she explains.
“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.
Dolly Parton’s Niece Danielle Parton is Currently Battling Breast Cancer
While in the process of getting her new business location ready to open and dealing with the grief of Dolly Parton’s death, Danielle also revealed to her social media followers in September that she had received a breast cancer diagnosis.
“It is Stage 0. We caught it very, very early. But I have to deal with that,” she explained.
Since revealing her breast cancer battle in September, Danielle has continued to keep followers updated on her treatments, which included surgery. On Oct. 15, she shared a hopeful update, saying pathology results after her most recent surgery indicated a clear margin. She promised to keep everyone posted on what her course of radiation will be.
Read More: Why Danielle Parton Suspected That Her Aunt Dolly Parton Had Cancer
During a recent conversation with Extra, Danielle revealed that Dolly Parton “took it really heavy” when she told her that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Look, you gotta get it together, it ain’t that deep,” Danielle remembers telling her famous aunt. “I just wanted you to know because you knew I was having a biopsy.”
That reaction is what made Danielle suspect that Parton might have been diagnosed with cancer herself. At the time, Danielle knew her aunt was sick, but didn’t know the details of what she was going through.
“I didn’t know, like anybody else, what she was dealing with,” Danielle explained. “…She worried more about everybody else, before she would ever let you know that anything was wrong with her.”
Parton kept her battle with cancer private during her lifetime — both from the public, and also from many of her family members. Although fans now know that she faced the disease, the specific kind of cancer she faced is not publicly known.
Read More: Why Dolly Parton’s Family Hasn’t Revealed The Type of Cancer She Had
The singer’s sister Stella explained on CBS Mornings that Parton never said to keep the details private, but she also never told her to make them public — and ultimately, the family decided to keep that information to themselves out of respect for Parton’s privacy.
9 Times Dolly Parton Was Extremely Generous
One word that typically gets thrown around when speaking about Dolly Parton is generous. The country veteran was know for being generous in her love and her encouragement, but she also gave away a lot of money.
We’re talking millions and millions of dollars.
We’ve rounded up some of the largest donations Parton made throughout her career and, quite frankly, we wouldn’t be surprised if she has more to give even after her death.
Gallery Credit: Jess Rose
