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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced Friday that they intend to name the airport in honor of Dolly Parton, moving toward a major tribute to the icon after an outpouring of public support for the beloved late country music legend’s legacy.
Lee said he spoke with Parton’s team about the proposal this week. Her team expressed appreciation for the support and is open to continuing the conversation, according to a joint announcement from the governor and the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.
The proposal would place Parton’s name on the gateway to Music City, connecting the transportation hub with a woman whose music, philanthropy and deeply rooted connection to her home state made her perhaps its most celebrated figure.
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Dolly Parton poses at the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Ceremony in New York on Oct. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” said Lee about the Tennessee native, who died Tuesday at 80 after a brief cancer battle. “From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her.
“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
The announcement comes amid a groundswell of support for renaming the airport after Parton. A Change.org petition titled “Rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport” had accumulated 155,501 verified signatures, according to the petition page.
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Dolly Parton attends the “Dolly: An Original Musical” fireside chat and press conference at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
The petition was originally launched in January 2025 by Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion, who argued that Parton’s influence extended far beyond the music that made her famous, pointing to her philanthropy and her Imagination Library literacy program.
Following Parton’s death this week, the organizers said tens of thousands of additional supporters signed the petition and renewed their effort to have Nashville’s airport carry her name.
The campaign has also drawn support from Tennessee officials. State Rep. Todd Warner said in a response published on the petition page that he would introduce legislation supporting the change.
“Yes I will definitely introduce legislation to rename the BNA airport Dolly Parton International Airport! Thanks, TW,” Warner wrote, according to the response reproduced by Change.org.
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Young fans pay tribute to Dolly Parton at her statue at the Sevier County Courthouse on Tuesday in Sevierville, Tenn. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Nashville Council member Russ Bradford also said he would sponsor a resolution asking the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority to consider the change, while stressing that the authority, rather than the council, has the ultimate say over the airport’s name.
“I’m proud to sponsor a resolution asking the Metro Nashville Airport Authority to consider renaming BNA to Dolly Parton International Airport,” Bradford said in a response published by Change.org.
The tribute carries particular resonance because Parton had previously resisted efforts to put her own legacy on a pedestal.
In 2021, Parton asked Tennessee lawmakers to withdraw a bill that would have allowed a statue of her to be erected on the grounds of the state Capitol.
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Fans pay tribute to Dolly Parton at her statue situated on the lawn at the Sevier County Courthouse, Tuesday, in Sevierville, Tenn. The beloved country and crossover music superstar died after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
“I am honored and humbled by their intention, but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration,” Parton said at the time in a post shared to social media.
She explained that she did not believe such an honor was appropriate while the country was confronting larger challenges, but left open the possibility that Tennessee might honor her in that way someday.
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“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time,” Parton said. “I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”
The proposal to rename the airport will be discussed at the Metro Nashville Airport Authority’s next meeting on Sept. 17, according to their release.
