Dolly Parton: Petition to rename Nashville airport after singer gains traction

Dolly Parton was synonymous with Nashville, so it is not surprising that sentiment has grown to rename the airport in the Music City after the late country music star.

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The Change.org petition is looking to rename Nashville International Airport as “Dolly Parton International Airport,” and has already collected more than 125,000 names, WSMV reported.

The campaign was first started by Tennessee residents Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion on Jan. 21, 2025, according to People.

The petitioners asked for the name change “to honor an icon who has given so much to our state and to the world.”

The petition topped 50,000 signatures by April 2025. Parton’s death on Tuesday has sent the petition into overdrive.

“Since her passing, tens of thousands of additional supporters have visited and signed this petition. The outpouring of support has reinvigorated our mission,” Popovich and Dion wrote in a joint statement on Tuesday, according to People. “Dolly deserves to be remembered and celebrated. What a wonderful way to share her light and magic across Tennessee and the world.”

The campaign even caught the attention of singer Sheryl Crow, according to the magazine.

[ Dolly Parton died after brief battle with cancer, family confirms ]

“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,’” the singer, who lives in Nashville, said in an interview with Katie Couric that was published on Change.org’s official Instagram account. Crow, 64, and Emmylou Harris collaborated with Parton for her 2023 song “You’re No Good.”

The original name of the airport was Berry Field, which opened in 1937. It was named for Col. Harry S. Berry, which explains the airport’s “BNA” code. Berry was Tennessee’s Works Progress Administration chief during the 1930s, and was a World War I artillery commander who graduated from West Point.

In February 1988, the name of the facility was changed to its current name.

Responding to the petition, Nashville City Council member Russ Bradford said he plans to sponsor a resolution asking the Metro Nashville Airport Authority to consider changing the name.

“Dolly Parton isn’t just a country music icon; she’s a global ambassador for our city, our state, and everything we love about Tennessee,” he wrote.

Airport officials have been honoring Parton since her death, lighting its parking garage since Tuesday, WSMV reported. The lights will remain pink through the weekend, according to the television station.

“Dolly Parton was not only a singer and songwriter but also a philanthropist and entrepreneur,” airport officials said in a statement. “Above all, she was a Tennessee legend.”

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