The airport says the vote is the “first step in a multifaceted process” to honor the legacy of Parton, who died on Aug. 25
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NEED TO KNOW
- Nashville International Airport is set to be renamed in honor of Dolly Parton after a unanimous board vote
- A petition to rename the facility after the country music icon was reinvigorated after her death at 80 on Aug. 25
- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee praised the renaming as a tribute to Parton’s music, generosity, and enduring legacy
Dolly Parton‘s presence in her home state of Tennessee is officially soaring to new heights!
In a unanimous 6-0 vote on Friday, Sept. 11, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority voted to begin the process of renaming the capital city’s main transportation hub in honor of the late country music icon.
While the vote merely modified the authority’s existing naming policy, which required a two-year posthumous waiting period before renaming any facility after a deceased person. The board says it is the “first step in a multifaceted process.”
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“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 Change.org petition to rename the facility in honor of the “9 to 5” singer was first created by two Tennessee residents in January 2025. The campaign was born out of opposition to an effort to rename the airport after President Donald Trump. However, following Parton’s death at 80 on Aug. 25, the campaign was reinvigorated. Within three days of her death, the petition had amassed over 150,000 signatures.
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The campaign even went on to catch the attention of one of Parton’s collaborators, Sheryl Crow, who publicly supported the campaign in an Aug. 25 Instagram post with Katie Couric. Crow, 64, and Emmylou Harris collaborated with Parton for her 2023 song “You’re No Good.”
In a matter of days, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced his full support for the renaming. In an Aug. 28 joint press release with BNA, the governor’s office wrote, “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.”
It is unclear if the facility will retain its airport code BNA, which stands for Berry Field Nashville Airport. The name derives from World War I and World War II U.S. Army veteran Col. Harry Smith Berry, a Tennessee native who helped establish the airfield.
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When the state considered renaming the airport last year, an estimate suggested it would cost the authority $10 million, with over $3.5 million specifically dedicated to infrastructure and signage. Most of the money would have come from the airport authority, which collects funds from aircraft landing fees, parking and terminal fees and concessions.
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Dolly Parton grew up in a one-bedroom log cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains, just outside of Sevierville, Tenn. After graduating from high school, the “Steel Magnolias” actress moved to Nashville, where she met her future husband Carl Dean, who died in 2025. The two shared a quiet domestic life at the Willow Lake Plantation, a large property in Brentwood, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville.
To read more about Parton’s life and legacy, PEOPLE’s special tribute edition, Dolly Parton: An American Treasure, is available now.
Read the full article here
