Departin’ From D. Parton Is a Go: Nashville Airport to Be Renamed

Dolly Parton will be memorialized in her hometown, as Nashville Airport has unanimously voted to change its name to include the music and philanthropy icon.

Since Dolly Parton’s passing late last month at age 80, a petition to change the name of Nashville’s airport quickly made the rounds, gaining thousands of signatures in days. The petition was actually originally made in January, but following Dolly’s death, fans agreed that it was an excellent way to honor the vast impact of the beloved musician and philanthropist.

At a meeting on September 11, officials at the Metro Nashville Airport Authority voted unanimously for the name change.

“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,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who quickly backed the idea ahead of the official vote.

While it’s only the first step in a lengthy bureaucratic process to fully enact the name change, local elected officials, airport executives, and the authority board are all united on that front. Airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen is authorized to immediately begin work to implement the change; already, he confirmed that he had a “very productive” meeting with the Parton family earlier this week.

Notably, making the change possible involved the Airport Authority voting against its own pre-existing rule that prevents facilities from being renamed after people who have died until two years after their passing.

Dolly even weighed in on the proposal herself early last year, telling Belmont University, “I think that’s probably more of a joke than anything. I mean, it does sound like a lot of fun to say, ‘Your flight is departin’ from Nashville’s D. Parton.’”

The iconic singer, actor, and philanthropist passed away on August 25 at the age of 80, following a “brief battle” with cancer that her family revealed only after her death. They did so to honor her wishes to keep her condition private while she was still alive, in part to avoid worrying her fans.