As tributes continue to pour in following Dolly Parton's death at age 80, a campaign to rename Nashville International Airport in her honor is gathering renewed momentum, with tens of thousands of people signing a petition calling for the airport to become "Dolly Parton International Airport." The Change.org petition was launched in January 2025 by Nashville residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion after a separate effort emerged in the Tennessee Legislature to rename Nashville International Airport after President Donald Trump. Organizers argued that Parton's decades of contributions to Tennessee and her global cultural influence made her a more fitting choice for the honor. Since the singer's death, the petition has reached more than 70,000 signatures and counting.
The proposal urges Tennessee officials to rename Nashville's main airport in honor of Parton, citing not only her musical achievements but also her philanthropic work through initiatives such as the Imagination Library, which has distributed millions of books to children. "It is only fitting that an institution as significant as Nashville International Airport carries the name of such a remarkable woman," the petition states. "Sign the petition to make this change a reality.
We could all be Departin' from Parton!!" Newsweek reached out to the petition organizers, Nashville International Airport, and the office of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for comment. Following the announcement of Parton’s death, support for the effort has grown rapidly. Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow publicly endorsed the proposal during an Instagram Live conversation with journalist Katie Couric, responding: "Yes!
I think we should!" when asked about renaming the airport after Parton. The push gained new attention as fans across Tennessee and beyond looked for ways to honor Parton's legacy following her death. The singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist died on Tuesday at age 80 after what her team described as a brief battle with cancer.
The airport campaign is just one of many tributes emerging in the hours since her passing. Among the more unexpected came from rapper Eminem, who shared a letter Parton sent him after both artists were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. In the note, Parton congratulated the rapper, writing: "Even though I don't know a lot about rap music, I've come to know that you are the very best at it." She also told him she felt an "unexplained connection" to him despite never having met.
Sharing the letter on Instagram following news of her death, Eminem wrote: "Even for a kid who mostly listened to rap music, she was an icon. A superstar in every sense. And thank you for the kind words." His tribute underscored the unusual breadth of Parton's appeal, spanning country music, pop culture and artists far outside her own genre, while supporters of the airport-renaming campaign argue that few Tennesseans have had a greater cultural impact on their state.
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