Dolly Parton’s legacy will live on in a major way in her home state of Tennessee.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority voted unanimously on Friday, Sept. 11 to begin the process of renaming the airport in honor of the country music icon following her tragic passing. Specifically, the vote modified the current naming policy, which required a two-year posthumous waiting period before renaming any facility after someone who passed away.
The board said it is the “first step in a multifaceted process.”
“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,” a Friday press release from Nashville International Airport (BNA) says. “We look forward to sharing additional details as plans are finalized.”
A Petition To Rename The Airport Began Before Dolly Parton Passed Away
A Change.org petition to rename the airport in honor of Parton first began in January 2025, but it surged once again within three days of her death, amassing over 150,000 signatures.
The move also got celebrity support, including from one of Parton’s collaborators, Sheryl Crow. And then Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that he supports the change in an Aug. 28 joint press release with BNA.
“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,” the release read.
Dolly Parton Passed Away After A Brief Battle With Cancer
Parton passed away on Tuesday, August 25, with her representatives later confirming that she died after a brief battle with cancer. Her sister, Stella Parton, revealed why she kept the news of her illness very private.
Stella even said that there were some in the extended family who did not know she had cancer. And the reason for that, according to her, was that Dolly didn’t want it to became a source of fear.
“Well, Dolly did not want anybody to tell that because Dolly could not bear negative things and she would not have wanted her fans worried about it,” Stella told Gayle King on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday, September 9, . “She didn’t want a lot of the family worried about it. Some of us knew, the ones that were closer, but not every relative.”
Stella said this decision reflected how Dolly lived her life: she didn’t want people to feel sadness and instead always focused on joy.
“She’d be really happy and delighted that people have shown her so much love because she knew that that would make us feel better as her family,” Stella added. “Bottom line, end of the day, her family and Carl’s family and probably Judy’s family are the people that she would want to say, ‘See, everything I did, they cared. They really loved me.’”
This was reiterated in a post previously shared by Stella.
“My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind people I’ve ever known,” Stella wrote on Instagram following her sister’s death. “What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future.”
