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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Friday that he and Nashville International Airport intend to rename the facility after Dolly Parton, the country music icon who died Tuesday at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Lee stated he had contacted Parton’s representatives about the proposal during the week, and her team responded positively to the idea while expressing willingness to discuss the matter further.
Naming the airport gateway to Music City after Parton would recognize her profound influence through both her musical career and extensive philanthropic work, Lee said. The governor emphasized that Parton carried Tennessee’s values from her East Tennessee roots to international stages, and that the airport would fittingly display her name as a tribute to the state’s most celebrated figure.
A Change.org petition supporting the airport rename had gathered 155,501 verified signatures before Parton’s death, with organizers reporting a surge in support following the announcement of her passing. The petition, launched in January 2025 by Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion, highlighted Parton’s charitable work and her Imagination Library literacy initiative as evidence of her broad cultural impact.
State Rep. Todd Warner pledged to introduce legislation supporting the measure, while Nashville Council member Russ Bradford committed to sponsoring a resolution requesting the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority consider the change. The authority holds final authority over the airport’s name and plans to address the proposal at its September 17 meeting.
Parton had previously declined public honors of this nature, asking Tennessee lawmakers in 2021 to withdraw legislation that would have erected a statue of her at the state Capitol. She stated at the time that such recognition was inappropriate amid larger national challenges, though she left the door open for future commemoration.
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