Nashville International Airport to Be Renamed Dolly Parton International After Petition Surpasses 160,000 Signatures

Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed in honor of Dolly Parton after a petition garnered more than 160,000 signatures.

The beloved country icon passed away at the age of 80 on Tuesday, August 25, after a brief battle with cancer. Her family stated that she was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her death.

In tribute, the state of Tennessee will now honor Parton by bestowing her name upon Nashville International Airport.

The announcement was made on Friday, August 28, by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. In his statement, he said, “Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state.

“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,” he added.

This development follows the launch of a Change.org petition earlier this week that calls for the renaming. As of this writing, the petition has amassed more than 168,000 signatures.

Parton’s representatives have “expressed their appreciation for the extraordinary outpouring of support to honor Dolly,” Lee noted, adding that they are “touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation.”

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell also expressed his support for the renaming in a statement posted on Instagram.

“Dolly was in the process of collaborating with us on a remarkable hotel and museum—SongTeller—which she described as her love letter to Nashville,” O’Connell wrote. “Now it’s our turn to share a love letter to Dolly—by renaming Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport in Nashville.”

The proposal is slated for discussion at a meeting on September 17. Further details are expected to be released in the coming weeks, according to the governor’s statement.

Following her passing, her family disclosed that Parton had “worked up until the day she died” on projects including an avatar show and a Broadway musical, as well as several initiatives in her home state.

In a recent update to fans, Parton revealed that she had been addressing health issues she had overlooked while caring for her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, who passed away last year. She also had to cancel a planned Las Vegas residency in May due to health concerns, after initially postponing the series of shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace scheduled for October 2025.

Artists have continued to honor Parton on stage. Kacey Musgraves performed a cover of ‘Here You Come Again’ at a recent concert in Boston, while Maisie Peters also covered the same track during her set at the Reading Festival this weekend, and Jack White performed ‘Jolene’ at a London show.

Elsewhere, Orville Peck covered ‘I Will Always Love You’, and The King’s Guard performed ‘9 To 5’ outside Buckingham Palace.

Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Elton John, and others shared messages honoring Parton, recalling her musical influence and extensive philanthropy. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-mast for a week across the country to honor Parton’s legacy.

In an NME obituary for Parton, we wrote: “As we all reel from Dolly Parton’s death, that glorious 2014 Glastonbury set may prove a balm. Introducing ‘Coat Of Many Colors’, her 1971 country hit about a patchwork coat sewn by her mother, this humble ‘farmer’s daughter’ paid tribute to her family’s love and resilience. Resplendent in her rhinestone suit, she embodied both qualities as a unifying icon. The world has become more divided since that set, but everyone will always love Dolly.”

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