Petition to rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport gets over 100,000 signatures
More than 100,000 of Dolly Parton's fans have signed a petition to rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport in her honour.
Over 100,000 of Dolly Parton's fans have signed a petition to rename Nashville International Airport in her honour.
A Change.org petition titled "Rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport" has gained significant momentum after the country music icon's nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death on Tuesday (25.08.26).
Tennessee residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion launched the campaign in January 2025 "to honour an icon who has given so much to our state and to the world", and their campaign has been "reinvigorated" following Dolly's passing from a "brief battle with cancer" at the age of 80.
In a statement, they said: "Since her passing, tens of thousands of additional supporters have visited and signed this petition. The outpouring of support has reinvigorated our mission - to rename the Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport.
"A key decision maker, has responded to this petition; Tennessee State Senator Todd Warner has pledged to introduce legislation to make this change happen.
"We are so very grateful for his support and for ALL of the support coming in.
"Dolly deserves to be remembered and celebrated. What a wonderful way to share her light and magic across Tennessee and the world."
Tennessee state Rep. Todd Warner, 55, garnered his support in the petition's comments section.
He penned: "Yes, I will definitely introduce legislation to rename the BNA airport Dolly Parton International Airport!"
Warner told People that he filed legislation to rename Nashville's airport after President Donald Trump, but after "so many people reach out" who wanted it named after a Tennessean and seeing his initial bill fail to pass in the committee, he turned his attention to another public figure.
Warner said: "Dolly was so good to this state. She cared about people. What she has done for this state economically, what she’s done for country music - and she cared about children … Just a great person. We need more Dollys in the world."
He noted that Tennessee has the money to rebrand and update signage at the airport, looking to the state's $1.2 billion revenue surplus from the end of the last fiscal year.
Warner said: "I think it would pay a great tribute to Dolly and what she’s done for the state and the country itself."
City Councillor Russ Bradford has thrown his support behind the proposal as a "few have done more to define what this city means to the rest of the world” than Dolly.
But he stressed a final decision must come from the Airport Authority and needs approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bradford told Axios Nashville: "I want to be clear about what this resolution does and doesn’t do: it’s a statement of support from Metro Council, urging MNAA [Metro Nashville Airport Authority] to take up the idea.
"The final decision on any name change rests with the Airport Authority, not with Council. I hope that this resolution sends a strong signal of how much our community would welcome this change, and that MNAA will give it serious consideration."
Singer-and-Nashville resident Sheryl Crow - who, with Emmylou Harris, collaborated with Dolly on her 2023 track, You're No Good - backs the petition to rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport.
In an interview with 69-year-old journalist Katie Couric, posted on Change.org's Instagram account, the 64-year-old star said: "People are talking about trying to get the Nashville airport, which I think is called BNA - I don't even know what it stands for - to change to the Dolly Parton Airport, which I'm like, Yes! I think we should."
Nashville International Airport operates under the code BNA, which comes from its former name, Berry Field Nashville Airport, which honoured Tennessee-born US Army veteran Col. Harry Smith Berry, who served in World War I and World War II, and helped establish the airfield.
On Tuesday, Dolly's representatives confirmed in a statement that she died following a "brief battle" with cancer.
They said: “Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact.
"After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones."
Dolly had been admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville on Friday (21.08.26), and while her representatives did not disclose the type of cancer she was suffering from, it has been reported that she was facing kidney and autoimmune problems before her death.
The Jolene hitmaker's passing was announced in a video message from her nephew, Bryan Seaver, shared on her Instagram account on Tuesday.
He said: “My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.
“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.
“It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”
