Push to rename Nashville airport for Dolly Parton gets a boost from Tennessee's governor

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A push by fans to rename Nashville's airport for Dolly Parton appears to be taking flight just days after the country music icon's death.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority both came out in favor of the name change Friday. It's expected to come up at the authority's meeting next month.

Long before 80-year-old Parton died Tuesday, fans in January 2025 started an online petition calling for officials to rename Nashville International Airport in her honor. It got renewed attention following Parton's death, jumping to more than 155,000 signatures Friday.

The change would make Parton the first woman whose name adorns one of America's 50 busiest airports.

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

“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,” Lee said in a statement.

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

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

The vast majority of U.S. airports named for a person honor men. Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, is one exception. Another is Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport in Atchison, Kansas.

Putting Parton's name on the Nashville airport could require its governing authority to revisit its policy for such honors, which states that airport properties should only be named for people who have been dead for at least two years.

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

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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.