Topline
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s board of commissioners voted unanimously on Friday to rename Nashville International Airport after the late country music icon Dolly Parton, who died in August, the first formal step in the renaming process which could take months.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority said Friday’s vote was the “first step in a multifaceted process.” (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority said Friday its board voted 6-0 in favor of starting the process to name the airport after Parton, though a finalized name has not yet been determined.
The board said Friday it is “working closely with the appropriate parties to thoughtfully determine how Dolly Parton’s name and legacy will be incorporated.”
Friday’s vote was the “first step in a multifaceted process,” the board said, adding it will have more information to share regarding next steps in the coming months.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, announced shortly after Parton’s death he had spoken with Parton’s team and partnered with Nashville International Airport to pursue renaming the airport in honor of Parton, praising her as “our state’s favorite daughter.”
In an interview with “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King earlier this week, Parton’s sister Stella Parton said she thinks the push to rename the airport is a “great idea,” joking the country should be renamed “the United States of Dolly Parton” because “somebody else is naming everything something else,” an apparent jab at President Donald Trump.
big number
175,415. That’s how many people have signed an online petition backing the movement to rename Nashville International Airport after Parton. The petition launched in January 2025, but picked up steam after Parton’s death.
What We Know About The Airport Renaming
Days after Parton’s death, Lee said in a statement he contacted Parton’s family about renaming the airport, saying they were “touched by the idea and open to continuing the conversation.” “Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said, adding the renaming would “greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.” The push to rename the airport has garnered bipartisan support, including from Nashville’s Democratic mayor, Freddie O’Connell. “Now it’s our turn to share a love letter to Dolly — by renaming Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport in Nashville,” O’Connell said in a statement last month, adding his office is in contact with Parton’s family to discuss “appropriate public recognition.”
key background
Parton died at age 80 on Aug. 25. Her nephew and head of security Bryan Seaver confirmed her death in a video message posted to her social media accounts, and her publicist later confirmed Parton had died following a brief battle with cancer. In recent years, Parton had spoken of health issues, including some that had forced her to postpone shows. Just days before she died, Parton told People Magazine she was dealing with “hard times with my health,” citing “health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” referring to her late husband who died last year. Parton postponed a string of Las Vegas shows last year, citing “health challenges,” later saying her “immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past three years.” Parton was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she and her 11 siblings grew up in a small cabin. Parton lived in a home outside Nashville with her husband for most of their lives, and she died at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center four days after being admitted.
further reading
Governor Joins Push to Rename Airport for Dolly Parton (New York Times)
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