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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has announced plans to name Nashville International Airport after Dolly Parton, following the death of the 80-year-old country music star, actress and philanthropist last week.
The news comes after thousands of fans signed an online petition to rename the airport after Parton, who was born in rural Tennessee and later moved to Nashville.
Lee said in a statement that he had spoken to Parton’s team, who “expressed their appreciation for the extraordinary outpouring of support to honour Dolly”.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” he said. “At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favourite daughter and greet travellers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith and kindness.”
The Change.org petition to rename the airport was originally launched in January 2025, but gained fresh momentum following Parton’s death. It has gathered over 170,000 signatures as of writing.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell also voiced his support for renaming the airport in a statement shared on Instagram.
“Dolly was in the process of working with us on a remarkable hotel and museum – SongTeller – that she called her love letter to Nashville,” O’Connell wrote. “Now it’s our turn to share a love letter to Dolly – by renaming Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport in Nashville.”
All that’s needed now is approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, but it’s looking good. A Tennessee lawmaker has also pledged to introduce legislation in the statehouse to rename the airport in Parton’s honour.
Following the death of Dolly Parton, countless tributes have been paid by fans and various public figures and celebrities. There’s also been some Donald Trump drama – whether it’s his “hypocritical” tribute or an AI post that was dubbed “disgusting”…
On a more positive note, streams for Parton’s songs have skyrocketted since her death.
Parton won 10 Grammy awards and sold 100 million records worldwide, including hits like ‘9 to 5’, ‘Jolene’, ‘Islands in the Stream’, ‘Coat of Many Colors’, and ‘I Will Always Love You’. These songs have experienced a sizeable boost online in recent days.
According to data released last Friday by the industry data and analytics company Luminate, audio and video streams of Parton’s discography shot up by 2,458% on the day of her death, compared to Monday – climbing from 1.2 million to 30.5 million in the US.
Worldwide, her audio and video streams jumped 1,549%, from 2.5 million on Monday to 41.8 million on Tuesday. On Wednesday, her on-demand audio streams jumped to 79.7 million, making her the most streamed artist globally.
Parton’s family announced that the beloved singer had been laid to rest after a private funeral on 28 August. The service was held at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville. She was buried next to Carl Dean, her husband of 60 years, who died in March 2025.
Dolly’s niece, Lainey Parton, shared a touching tribute to her aunt and confirmed the news.
“I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words,” Lainey wrote. “From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough. She never made my dreams feel too big or made me feel like I couldn’t do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.”
She added: “Most people can think of at least one bad memory with everyone in their family. I honestly can’t think of one with her.”
Dolly had made it clear before her death that she wanted a “small, private service” for immediate family, and also stipulated that the country-gospel song ‘If We Never Meet Again’ should be played at her funeral.