Governor Bill Lee and airport authority leaders throw support behind a fan-driven campaign, though formal approval remains months or years away.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority announced Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, that they intend to pursue renaming Nashville International Airport in honor of Dolly Parton, days after the country music icon died at age 80 in Nashville. The announcement follows a surge of public support for a long-running petition and represents the first formal government and airport authority backing of the idea, though officials caution the name change is not immediate and must still clear an established review process.
Lee's office framed the proposed tribute as fitting for a city long known as the country music capital. "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, according to Reuters. The governor's office also indicated it has been in contact with Parton's team about the proposal.
A Petition That Predated Her Death Gains New Force
The push to rename the airport did not begin this week. A Change.org petition titled "Rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport" was launched in January 2025, long before Parton's death. For more than a year, it drew modest attention.
That changed dramatically after Parton died Tuesday in Nashville. Within days, the petition's signature count climbed rapidly, moving from roughly 54,000 to 80,000, then past 100,000, 128,000 and eventually more than 134,000, with some reports citing figures approaching 155,000. Musician Sheryl Crow was among the public figures who voiced support, further amplifying the campaign's visibility nationally.
The rapid growth transformed what had been a niche online effort into a story covered by outlets ranging from Reuters and The Washington Post to the New York Times, PBS, Bloomberg and local Nashville stations, all of which described a campaign moving quickly from grassroots petition to official government consideration.
Dolly Parton Dies at 80 in Nashville After Brief Battle With Cancer
Airport Authority Policy Creates a Procedural Hurdle
Renaming Nashville International Airport is not solely within the governor's power. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, known as MNAA, oversees the airport and controls decisions about its name. The authority's current policy restricts naming airport property after individuals unless they have been dead for at least two years and have contributed either to aviation in Tennessee or directly to the airport authority itself.
Because Parton died only days before the announcement, meeting that standard as written would push any formal renaming out by at least two years, according to reporting from WPLN and the New York Times. MNAA leadership has indicated that its existing naming policy will be part of the discussion when the board takes up the proposal, raising the possibility that the policy could be revisited or an exception considered.
The proposal is expected to come before the MNAA board at a meeting next month, with at least one report identifying Sept. 17 as the date the issue and the underlying naming policy will be formally addressed. No vote has yet occurred, and officials have been careful to describe the effort as an intention rather than a finalized decision.
Lawmakers and Local Officials Join the Effort
Support for the renaming has extended beyond the governor's office and airport authority into the state legislature and Nashville's city government. State Rep. Todd Warner, a Republican, has said he plans to introduce legislation to formally rename the airport "Dolly Parton International Airport." Warner had previously supported an earlier proposal to name the airport after Donald Trump but has since shifted his legislative focus to honoring Parton.
A Nashville councilman has also pitched renaming the airport for Parton, reviving a local push that gained new momentum following her death. Together, these efforts illustrate how a campaign that began as an online petition has drawn engagement at both the state and municipal levels of government.
Parton, though most closely associated with the mountains of rural East Tennessee rather than Nashville itself, has long been regarded as central to the state's cultural identity and to country music as an industry. Supporters argue that naming the state's largest airport after her would cement that legacy for travelers arriving from around the world, even as the practical and procedural steps needed to make that happen remain unresolved.
