Dolly Parton Airport? Tennessee governor backs fans' bid to rename Nashville airport after country music icon

Fan effort to rename Nashville airport Dolly Parton He appears to be jetting off just days after the country music icon’s death.

Tennessee governor backs effort to rename Nashville airport after Dolly Parton

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority spoke out Friday in favor of the name change. He is expected to appear at an office meeting next month.

Long before the 80-year-old Parton he died on tuesdayfans in January 2025 started an online petition calls on officials to rename Nashville International Airport in her honor. It received renewed attention after Parton’s death, jumping to more than 155,000 signatures on Friday.

The governor said he had already discussed the idea with Parton’s representatives.

“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it’s fitting that Nashville International Airport bears the name of our state’s favorite daughter and welcomes travelers with a lasting legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith and kindness,” Lee said in a statement.

Born into poverty in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Parton became an icon whose popularity crossed borders generational, geographic and political limit. In addition to writing and recording hits like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” she starred in Hollywood films including “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias.”

A number of US airports bear the names of beloved celebrities, from Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The New Orleans airport was renamed in 2001 after jazz icon Louis Armstrong.

Placing Parton’s name on the Nashville airport could require its governing body to reconsider its policy for such honors, which states that airport properties should only be named after people who have been dead for at least two years.

The governor’s office said its proposal and naming policy will be discussed by the airport authority at its Sept. 17 meeting.