Nashville Airport Moves to Rename Itself After Dolly Parton in Unanimous Vote

Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed in honor of Dolly Parton, after the airport’s governing board voted unanimously to begin the process on Friday (Sept. 11).

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The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority board of commissioners voted 6-0 to start modifying the airport’s name to honor the late country icon, who died Aug. 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. A final name has not yet been determined.

“While a final name has not yet been determined, we are working closely with the appropriate parties to thoughtfully determine how Dolly Parton’s name and legacy will be incorporated,” the authority said, describing the vote as “the first step in a multifaceted process” and noting it expects to share more detailed plans in the coming months.

The final name will be decided jointly by airport leaders and the Dollywood Foundation, the nonprofit Parton established in 1988. The board also had to modify its existing naming policy, which generally calls for airport properties to be named after individuals who have been deceased for at least two years.

The renaming push predates Parton’s death — a petition to rename the airport “Dolly Parton International Airport” launched in early 2025 — but gained momentum after she died, with the petition surpassing 175,000 signatures.

The effort has drawn bipartisan support: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, proposed the change shortly after Parton’s death, and Nashville’s Democratic mayor, Freddie O’Connell, backed it, with the city’s Metro Council unanimously adopting a supporting resolution on Sept. 1. “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,” Lee said in his initial statement.

A Tennessee native born in Sevier County, Parton became one of the most successful and beloved figures in American music, selling more than 100 million records worldwide across a seven-decade career. She topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “9 to 5” and “Islands in the Stream,” holds the record for the most No. 1s by a woman on the Hot Country Songs chart with 25, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Beyond her music, she was celebrated for her philanthropy, particularly the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, which has distributed hundreds of millions of books to children.